The Darkness Beyond: A Space Opera [signups]

Interested. I might post something tomorrow. I tend to be unreliable, however. We'll see.

When will we be able to post our individual characters?

Wikkit, your nation is Accepted. Sorry about that, I've had things that have been keeping me a tad busy for the past couple of days, mainly stuff involving college.

Anyway, you can post your characters once your nation is approved. Which I just did, so feel free. I'll have to look at the nations again to see if they're eligible for approval for the others though. It's been a bit, please forgive me.

And it has taken me a long time but I just moved in so I did not not alot of time free. I have gotten my nation designed. Tell me what you think, throw questions, comments, concerns, ect at me.

edited 11th Jan '16 9:00:29 AM by darkdestinysoul

@Nman: The Aerisian Supremacy is Accepted.

@darkdestinysoul: Looks good to me. The Shyleran Commune is Accepted.

Cool. I'll work on my characters, but I'll hold off on posting them just in case some sort of major international relationships require different backstories (That's probably more for the ambassador than the crew member, but c'est la vie). I'd like to call dibs on the Chief Science Officer crew position.

I'm waiting on Firock's sign up in case it affects mine; in any case I'm tentatively reserving a CQB specialisation and a Quartermaster role for my crew member (unless someone wants the quartermaster role and can think of a good out of combat role for a very martial character).

Not too sure what role i would want to take on a star-ship. Their are lots after-all, how big of a ship are we talking here? Also is there some equivalent to universal translator or just learning each-others or a shared language?

The Hermes is about 55 meters in length. To put it in perspective, it's larger than the Millennium Falcon while also being smaller than a Boeing 747.

As for languages, most nations use translators. They're not "universal" translators like in Star Trek; the language still has to be programmed into the translator's memory banks. Most translators are equipped with one-to-several language modules that are programmed to translate a group of commonly-spoken languages. Language modules can be purchased in stores by civilians. Higher-end translators (like ones that ambassadors and the Hermes crew members would be equipped with) are expensive, but they're programmed with over 40 different galactic languages commonly spoken in the Known Galaxy and they're typically standard-issue for military personnel.

That said, there are certain nations, like the Rhizon Collective, who choose not to use translators in favor of learning the required languages themselves, which is easier for the Rhizon given their hive mind.

edited 12th Jan '16 8:53:37 AM by AllHailThrall

• Name: Le'ka Alliance
• Species: Le'Ka AKA Biomechas for organics, Mechanical Lifeforms further down to the "lifeform" scale of things. Humanoid, Shortest of them are 5'10, and they tend to look rather bug like combined with humanoid forms. The average lifespan reaches somewhere from 250-300 years, metal bodies tend to do that. Each Le'Ka varies in appearance and therefore function. Durable bodies for certain and almost computerlike brains.
• History:
  • The Le'Ka were not always the mechanical beings of the "modern" day. Millenia ago they were service droids built by the original Le'Ka, a race of insectoids who were suffering from decaying bodies and world, the Droids worked to keep everything active while the Le'Ka tried to find a solution. Eventually the Droids gained awareness and demanded explanation, the original Le'Ka gave none and outright ignored them, some even insinuating that their sapience was nothing more than a glitch. The two sides eventually set out to war, there were no winners. Only two sides bitter about their lot in life. The current day Le'Ka regret this.
  • Eventually both sides realized that they could become greater than the sum of their parts together, and set about combining into one species. New bodies for the dying Le'Ka, a look at life for the Droids. Their early bodies were cruder, little more than cyborgs, eventually over time as research progressed the line between organic and synthetic blurred until they became functionally the same thing.
  • They've since set about expanding themselves and improving their bodies, taking note of so many humanoid forms that their current forms retain little bug like features, at best mandibles.
  • Currently their alliance reaches several systems with colonies
• Government: Governmental Council on the homeworld intakes weekly information from Colonies which are governed by their own minister. The Homeworld Government is a collective intelligence dedicated to sorting out the best long term solutions for the populace, with collected information from the colonies.
• Military: Military makes up one fourth of the population, battleships and cruisers are common in terms of "navy" with smaller attack fighters (Really just enclosed shells designed to protect the Le'Ka pilot) in case of actual need. Weaponry is all plasma based with a few railguns, this is due to the durability of their bodies. Specialized units are in use, typically electronic warfare units.
• Infrastructure: Basic trading of wealth and resources is used with a currency called Xun, Science and Technology are a high priority for this nation with research into Space Travel and integrating themselves further into being more than fancy machinery.
• Culture:
  • Art is formed around a specific sort of style, best described as Cyberpunk Meets Art Deco
  • Customs are largely based around being polite, will often greet and leave with a bow and a few noises in their native tongue
  • Language is largely clicking noises combined with electronic beeps and whirs, referencing their origins, it's a difficult language to learn.
• Territory: 15 systems with a population of around 60 Billion
• Trivia: They often learn new languages by downloading a language and associating it as best they can, this can lead to some Malproper moments, which leads them to try and correct that when they realize.

Anything wrong with what I have written down?

edited 14th Jan '16 11:17:26 AM by EchoingSilence

• Name: Tukantz Arund C.
• Age, Gender, Species: 30, Male, Borentinian
• Appearance: He is at the taller end of the average, standing at around 7 feet and 8 inches. His carapace has a number of minor dents that have gathered over the years, and some of the sharp ridges have dulled with age as well. A fellow member of his species would note the girth of his tail, the thinness of his arms and the elegant way he carries himself as identifying markers, but most people wouldn't. One of his left arms is replaced with a robotic limb, not covered in synthetic compounds and fitted with four fingers instead of the natural two. He has a tendency to wear extravagant shawls on his shoulders, ranging from the metallic ones purchased on Orin some time ago, and a few ones made out of exotic materials like fur and limited-friction-linens given recently as a gift from a foreign embassy.
• Personality: He is, more than any other quality, polite and soft-spoken. Some people he has met in the past feel he is polite to the point of being sycophantic, but the diplomats and governors he meets with are used to it. Rarely comes the time where he will openly disagree in a public discussion with others, except when it comes to the topic of his own people. He would be called a thousand names before he speaks badly of Orin and the Borentinians. There are a couple of very specific topics that will make him act completely uncharacteristically, breaking a hidden hair-trigger temper. These topics almost never come up, though, so the appearance of a kind diplomat is rarely broken.
• Equipment:
  • His main tool he carries around is a wrist-mounted PDA, a Norelco Brand Simplistic Artificial Intelligence Personal Planning Device, or SAIPeP for short. The AI housed within isn't capable of carrying on much of a conversation, but it can organize events in a logical manner and recognize speech patterns and simple codephrases to alert authorities to the possible danger the owner is in. It is also able to detach a much more covert recording device from the underside.
  • A low-powered beam pistol, usually not carried on his person, only used when he expects to get into danger. Others consider him a bit paranoid to carry it around, considering the contingents of bodyguards that usually guard diplomats, but there isn't a rule saying that you can't keep one. Use of the pistol is pretty much the only skill from his military days that hasn't grown rusty with the years.
  • He's a skilled enough tailor to affix many small pockets into the insides of his shawls. You can never have too many pockets.
• History: Born to a government worker in Chhuhi, a large nation near the equator of the planet Orin. His mother was middle class, a teacher, and provided well for him. Tukantz, reaching maturity at the tender age of 6 like many others of his kind, decided that the military was his path in life. The media constantly talked about the development of hyperdrive, and the incredible new frontiers that it would open up, and the young man saw his best opportunity to get away from the boring future ahead of him was to get on the first military ship out of there. Tukantz became a marine, and two years later he was among those selected to board the exploratory vessel Redundant Eye, All-Seeing as shipboard security. Two years later, after a long period of traversing systems and finding nothing but dust, they received garbled radio signals from a humid planet a few lightyears away from their home. After confirming the presence of not only life, but structures on the surface, Tukantz was selected by the captain of the ship to be among those to first touch down with the first contact party. He was to guard a number of biologists, the captain and the resident linguist brought along in the event that this did happen.
  • They crew left in a small atmospheric craft and touched down onto Faesar IV, a small mining colony with a total population of around 9,000 Aerisians spread at multiple sites. As the external camera was damaged, neither side got to see the other as the gantry bay doors opened. The Borentinians were disquieted at the collection of odd flesh things covered in little follicles, and the Aerisians that had gathered at the edge of their facility were instantly worried about the imposing figures slithering their way towards them. The landing party had been briefed on the intended procedure, a pictorial exchange of information between them and whatever they found, a number of times. A single loud crackle from a concealed laser ended the event prematurely. One of the scientists involved had attempted what she believed would be a non-threatening hand signal, raising all six of her claws in the air and slowly approaching to show she was unarmed and welcoming.
  • The gesture unreturned by one of the facility's guards, the two parties started fleeing each other while taking potshots. Only three casualties would result from the brief firefight: the doctor who had caused the mess, the leg of a human who had to have it amputated after taking a stray shot, and one of Tukantz' arms, blown clean off as he attempted to shield the captain. Leaving the planet, and briefly after the system, Tukantz had some time to think as the ships medics did their best to stem the bleeding. He didn't harbor a grudge towards the aliens, like some others on the ship would eventually develop. He instead thought that the whole thing could've been avoided if they hadn't gone into first contact blindly. This, along with becoming a celebrity virtually overnight for being among the first to see an alien, drove him to take part in the second, much more formal and much more heavily guarded attempt at First Contact with the Aerisians, his mind was set: he would become the liaison between these two races, and the galaxy at large. His rise to prominence was swift, as he had an undiscovered gift of gab that only furthered his popular support. He would eventually become one of the signors on the Borentinian-Aerisian "Sudden Declaration of Everlasting Comradeship", a largely ceremonial treaty which gave his nation the title of "Steadfast Compatriots". Though mostly unimportant, the event was celebrated as a brave step forward back on his home planet, and a proud declaration of might to the galaxy at large.
• Credentials: The Orin Council were ready to give Tukantz his desired position, if only because the other candidates were not nearly as popular, or had noted enemies in some minor nation. Aside from that, he has spent the majority of his free time learning and taking in other cultures and languages. He has managed to acquire basic fluency in 7 xeno-languages in his time, and a general understanding of many other race's cultures and history. He's spent 12 years as direct liaison between his race and the Aerisian Supremacy's embassies, and has been instrumental in brokering a number of treaties between the two bodies. Though it isn't terribly important for an official to not be bothered by the clients he works for, he doesn't seem to mind the appearance of humans or other species.
• Trivia: He was technically among the first Borentinians to ever perform in a production of Shakespeare, where he played Tybalt in an impromptu (and possibly drunken) rendition of the first act of Romeo & Juliet, put on to pass the time at a social event.

• Name: Huthizki R.
• Age, Gender, Species: 21, Male, Borentinian
• Appearance: On the shorter side, only 6'11". His carapace is in good condition, a little bit stockier than the average member of his species. Most of his claws have been intentionally dulled, with the exception of his right uppermost limb, due to the sensitive natures of some instruments he carries being incompatible with getting cut every time they're picked up. While in his down time he prefers to go buff in any environment hot enough, he's most often spotted in the closest equivalent to a dull-yellow jumpsuit he can put on.
• Personality: A little rough around the edges. He's not mean or aggressive, he simply is very coarse and crude in his speech. Some of his superiors have given him great trouble over the foul language^* Profanity in Northern Vernacular is as complex and nuanced as the superlatives. There are, for instance, over twenty five unique words involving the notion of being a "Pissdrinker", to say nothing of other phrases which can get as long and convoluted as proper names. Almost all of the venom in these statements are lost in translation when used in English, so Huthizki keeps it in his own tongue he tends to use when peeved or stressed. He drinks, not much in comparison to other species due to the nuances of his circulatory system getting him drunk much faster, but enough to have it become a bit of a problem. He is very task oriented while on the job, not bothering to strike up conversations often. While it may not show for a while, he does bond well with people in his department, and may open up around them a bit more than others.
• Equipment: Aside from a number of individual tools supplied for various engineering tasks, he has an exosuit built for his frame, rated to operate in any and all hostile environments. Because magnetic clamping boots don't work very well for someone without feet, he is restricted to using a vectored thrust pack and tethers in order to remain anchored to the ship.
• History: He works just like he was born: on a ship. Born to a deep-space prospector working on the mining vessel Imminent Wealth, he has spent most of his life in space. Growing up at the beginning of interspecies relations, the stations he spent docked at were frequented by many alien traders. Ask him on why he isn't afraid of other species later, and he would say that his exposure at a young age is the root cause. When he became an adult, he has worked in a large number of ships in many odd jobs, before finding his calling to engineering at the age of 14. He was recently selected by the Orin Council as the sole Borentinian representative to serve on the Hermes, as most others were unwilling or applying for positions already filled.
• Specialization: He is a Crisis Engineer, trained to get into catastrophically damaged areas and immediately begin to seal breaches, no matter how dangerous the situation. When the ship isn't in danger of falling apart, he works as an engineer trained in spacewalking, performing routine maintenance on the exteriors of vessels. His talents allow him to work in most engineering sectors with proficiency, but his specialization is Exo-work.
• Combat Specialization: He is not trained with any guns, beyond a few times he has fired a harpoon cable. Instead, in the cramped quarters of a ship, if threatened he would simply attempt to tear his aggressor apart limb from limb, screaming at the top of his lungs like any fighting Borentinian should. Even dulled, his claws are capable of doing great damage.
• Trivia: He has a passing interest in human cinema, but if only because it's often what's supplied on human vessels.

edited 3rd Feb '16 12:10:36 AM by wikkit

Nice characters, Wikkit!

Also another quick disclaimer, I ran everything in these next two sign-ups with Thrall before going ahead with it.

Without further ado, however, here are my characters:

• Name: Kiarrokir^note Roughly equivalent to Captain Erruanuzua Irrek
• Age, gender, species: 23 years old, female, sirian
• Appearance: Erruan is broad-shouldered and muscular, her medium length brown fur doing nothing to hide the latter. She stands roughly 8'1 or a little taller, making her seem even more imposing. Erruan has yellow coloured eyes and a long snout and tail. Her ears are pointed.

When she is not in her armour, Erruan is normally wearing a black t-shirt and trousers or a tank top/vest and shorts depending on how warm it is. She also wears boots or - if it would be too warm to wear those - full-foot wraps made of a hard wearing material.

• Personality: Serious and straight forward, Erruan is perhaps the epitome of the ideal Sirian soldier. She has little patience for attempts to mislead her or treat her as a fool, though she always tries to put professionalism first. This is not to say that she doesn’t know how to relax, however; she simply tends to put her duty before downtime.

• Equipment/Belongings: Erruan carries a number of items relevant to her work; however, her most prized possessions are her semi-powered armour and the Special Activities Branch issue X-1 Tisafirr powered armour. Both have load bearing vests to carry ammunition and other important items. She also carries a combat knife for emergency situations.
  • L42 Assault Railgun: The standard firearm of the Sirian Army, and capable of semi-automatic, burst, and automatic firing modes, this weapon’s railgun sabot rounds are a calibre roughly analogous to the ancient .50 BMG. Because the significant penetrative power might incur a risk of collateral damage (for example in built up areas), a Variable Power System can be used to reduce the power delivered to the rails and hence the power of the shots. An internal IFF ensures that friendly fire – or attempting to turn the gun against its owner – is impossible (at least not without taking the time to tamper with it). This particular example has been equipped with a scope (replete with integral reflex sight), underslung grenade launcher (UGL), and an IR laser optic. It also features a collapsible stock for better handiness in close quarters.
  • L74 Assault Railgun: A cheap and ubiquitous design, the L74 is purposefully stripped down features-wise but retains the same calibre and capabilities as the newer L42. It too has a scope, though a front grip and extended magazines have been added instead. This is what Erruan would normally use when posing as a mercenary.
  • L1 Combat Pistol: A simple combat pistol chambered for .45 railgun sabots, it is not as powerful as either of the rifles – but it is much more easily concealable and portable. Excellent recoil mitigation mechanisms make it one of the more controllable pistols on the market, though the selection of accessories is somewhat underwhelming. Erruan’s L1 has an IR laser optic and suppressor.
  • Grenades: Erruan carries a number of grenades. Specifically, she carries flashbang, frag, smoke/anti-laser aerosol, and EMP grenades (these are also available for her L42’s UGL). The EMP grenades can only affect all but the feeblest of targets temporarily. The smoke disperses after a while, with the exact rate and effectiveness of the smoke depending on the weather.
  • Vanguard Mark II Semi-Powered Armour: A cheap armour mass produced by the SU for civilian and foreign use, the Vanguard Mark II is very distantly related to an obsolescent Sirian Army design. Its semi-powered nature means that it is purely load-bearing; it does not augment the wearer’s physical capabilities in any way. Sealed against vacuum and contaminants, it possesses an armoured faceplate dotted with a mesh of micro-cameras and a more fragile backup armoured glass visor underneath; the faceplate may turn transparent at the wearer’s command. It possesses a basic radio and navigation system.
  • X-1 Tisafirr Special Operations Armour: The suit of choice for many Sirian operators, the Tisafirr is a fully sealed fully powered armour designed to provide an optimal balance between weight, agility, versatility, and protection. It contains several sensors to build up a picture of the battlefield, and its helmet is of a similar design to the Vanguard, albeit more advanced. Its armour has a special coating designed to ablate and thereby degrade incoming laserfire. The suit is ‘sanitised’, meaning it carries no obvious clues to its origins (for example, unit badges or name patches). Little thrusters allow for bursts of rapid agility and heightened jumps as well as the ability to manoeuvre in space. The X-1’s most unusual feature is the right gauntlet, which uses small explosive cartridges to ram it forward with enough force to break open walls or cave in light armour (in particular powered armor). Another quirk of the X-1 is its appearance; it contains an Adaptive Camouflage System which generates a camouflage pattern based on the environment the suit is operating in (for example, urban patterns in a city). The armour also has a sensor absorbent coating. Though this cannot prevent detection, it reduces the range that it can be detected at. It has a fully encrypted radio and navigation system, as well as energy shielding.

• History: Erruan was born to one of the military families on Uabarr, named after the ambiguously semi-divine warrior of Sirian myth. Her childhood was tough, but fair. Much to the surprise of nobody, she was quickly enlisted in a prestigious military academy, with an end goal of joining the Powered Infantry. Her lecturers noted that despite her blunt manner, she was technically competent and almost single-minded in her pursuit to achieve her goals. During her time in the academy, like all Sirian soldiers she learnt the code "language" of kisihaos, or War Speech - a complex, ever changing cryptographic system designed to prevent outsiders understanding what they hear in Sirian military comms traffic if encryption is defeated.

Leaving the academy, she joined the Sirian Army as an Eziarrokir (lieutenant) in the Powered Infantry - just as intended. Slowly, she began to climb the ranks, her no nonsense behaviour earning her favours with command. Eventually, after several successful patrols with her Long Range Reconnaissance Group unit, she was brought into Ae Abex’s Special Activities Branch.

Noting her skills in close quarters, SAB put her forward as a candidate for joining the Hermes.

• Specialisation: Quartermaster. She ensures that all of the team's equipment is properly maintained and functional.
  • Combat Specialisation: Erruan specialises in CQB. In other words, she is an expert at close quarters shooting and hand to hand techniques.
• Trivia: Erruan was her academy’s premier practitioner of traditional Sirian martial arts, in particular wrestling and grappling. She is also a fan of the Sirian action drama Marked. Her Vanguard Mk II is a dull silver colour with red markings.

• Name: Chief Ambassador for Uabarr and Her Colonies, Secei^note Similar to "Sir" - implies the title bearer has done great services for Uabarr Azunn Berreil (Addressed as "Secei Berreil" or "Ambassador Berreil" formally)
• Age, gender, species: 38 years old, male, Sirian
• Appearance: Azunn is slender by Sirian standards, with blue eyes and well kept white fur. 6'6'' in height, he generally wears a black suit and tie, and pure black shoes polished to an almost blinding sheen. His fur is very thick, and could be described as "fluffy" without understatement. In short, Azunn doesn't cut a very intimidating figure at all.
• Personality: A very patriotic, friendly man by nature, Azunn nevertheless knows how to be firm when necessary. He is highly intelligent and good at reading people, and detests injustice. This is tempered, however, by a keen sense of realpolitik.
• Belongings:
  • Shieldweave suit: The position of a major ambassador can be a dangerous one. Although it appears to be a normal suit, it is designed to protect the wearer against pistol and PDW rounds (though rifle rounds will generally punch right through it except from long distances or if they are fired through cover).
  • Datapad: Essentially a futuristic version of today’s tablets, Azunn’s datapad can be used to store information, access local wireless networks, and so on. It has been made secure prior to Azunn being issued with it.
  • Communicator: Akin to a phone, this small device fits into one of Azunn’s ears. It too is capable of secure communications.
• History: The only son of the rich Berreil family, Azunn had parents – his mother, a successful CEO, and his father, a well-known socialite - who were unorthodox in unashamedly supporting greater freedoms for Sirian men. This rubbed off on him, and although he suffered significant discrimination he managed to carve out a reputation as a hard worker and dependable. Eventually, he was offered a position in government, and he leapt at the chance. Now he has taken on one of the most senior diplomatic roles in the SU.

However, although he did indeed work in Berreil Mining & Manufacturing for a time, much of his supposed work in his mother’s company has been meticulously fabricated by Ae Abex, whom saw in Azunn a potentially valuable intelligence operative. He did much work both domestically and in foreign nations, in the former normally as a honeypot for sirian women under investigation. Although he is no longer part of Ae Abex, he does remain in contact with them. Another by-product of his Ae Abex service is that he has been trained in anti-empath techniques intended to block or misdirect attempts at empathic reading, or failing that control his emotions.

• Credentials: Azunn has brokered many of the most lucrative trade agreements between Uabarr and foreign powers; he is also responsible for adroitly managing the economic situation in the Sirian Union after what had been a slump. He has also spearheaded much of Uabarr's efforts to improve diplomatic relations with the other galactic powers - he does not want resentment or discord to be the lasting tone of his time in office. Whether he will be successful, however, only time will tell.

Finally, he has managed to smooth over the worst of the internal disputes among the political parties of the Sirian Union - no small feat, as each one has a powerful sense of identity (albeit one subordinate to the Union) and an equally strong idea of where the Union should go next.

• Trivia: He makes model starships of all shapes, sizes and nations as a hobby.

edited 8th Mar '16 9:51:44 AM by Flanker66

• Name: Linda Kesyk
• Age, Female, human, 28
• Specialization: Chief Engineer, responsible for ensuring the day-to-day technical operations of the ship go smoothly and efficiently, as well as managing the other engineers and overseeing repairs.
• Appearance: Shorter than average, athletic. Dark, messy, short hair. Korean descent. Green eyes.
• Personality: Linda Kesyk is a deeply outspoken woman, always eager to make her thoughts and opinions known, even when it might be unwise to do so. She is stubborn, not easily swayed once she’s made up her mind about something, confident, competitive and sometimes reckless. She has a habit of talking back to authority figures, enjoys bending the rules and relishes a challenge. Nevertheless, Linda is deeply loyal to her friends and comrades, and tends towards selflessness, albeit sometimes reluctantly, frequently putting the needs of others before her own.
• Equipment/Belongings:
  • Coveralls: Defending clothes from the dirty details of engineering jobs since time immemorial.
  • Compact Toolkit: A startling variety of gear in a startlingly small case.
  • Plasma Pistol: A standard-issue Izeran military handgun. For emergencies only, though Linda’s a pretty good shot with it.
  • Trusty Old Hydrospanner: An aged, well-worn tool, though still fully functional. A good luck charm with sentimental value.

History: Born to two Terran wealthy immigrants on the Izeran world of Remia, Linda’s insatiable curiosity was apparent from the beginning. Breezing through her schoolwork even at a young age, Linda had plenty of time to seek out new and interesting information from new and interesting sources. Being a shy girl, she was often happier perusing the Izeran Internet than playing with others, even her numerous siblings, and with her parents both working long hours, there was rarely anyone around who would urge her to do otherwise. In this way, Linda discovered engineering, and found her passion. Bearing a particular love for mechanical engineering, she started tinkering at age 10, and never stopped.

As puberty set in, Linda’s intelligence and her love of machinery only became more apparent, as did a newfound craving for adventure and an attitude that earner her a reputation as a troublemaker at school. Having emerged from her proverbial shell, Linda put her exceptional understanding of mechanics to work on elaborate pranks and other mischief, much to the chagrin of her parents and teachers.

Even as her teenage years came to an end, Linda still had a rebellious streak a mile wide. And so, even though her parents’ wealth and connections could have gotten her into any prestigious university, she instead chose to enroll in a military college, pursuing a degree in Starship Engineering and enlisting in the Royal Izeran Space Force. Her parents, especially her father, were furious, but Linda was adamant about her choice. This led to an unfortunate falling out that has yet to truly resolve itself.

Linda’s academic career was largely uneventful. Though, eager to challenge herself, she switched to pursuing a double major in both Starship Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. Her military career was marred, in its early days, by her intense dislike of the military’s rigid hierarchy and strict rules. Her attitude often got her into trouble, but even though she was far from a model officer, she was undeniably an excellent engineer.

Still relatively early on in her career, Linda briefly transferred to the Royal Izeran Engineering Corps. During these few years, she found herself working and training extensively with members of the Royal Izeran Marine Corps. Despite enjoying the boldness of life as a Combat Engineer, she soon found that she missed working with starships, and was eventually transferred back to the Space Force.

Despite her modest rank and troublesome attitude, Linda has earned herself a reputation as one of Izera’s finest engineers, an honour she takes very seriously, even if she does tend to brag about it.

• Combat Specialization: Being a fully trained and capable member of the Royal Izeran Armed Forces, Linda is no stranger to soldiering and all that entails. Linda also has experience as a Combat Engineer and has trained with Marine Corps personnel.
• Credentials:
  • University Degree: double major: Starship Engineering, Mechanical Engineering.
  • 8 years in the Royal Izeran Armed Forces; Royal Izeran Space Force (5 years), Royal Izeran Engineering Corps (3 years).
• Trivia:
  • Linda Kesyk is a huge nerd.
  • She is rumoured to have once built a single-pilot motorized glider out of nothing but scrap and using nothing but her bare hands and a bottle of glue…

Ambassador to come later.

edited 12th Jan '16 4:05:08 PM by Blackfire667

• Face Name: Tarlena Parla'mora
  • True name: the Gliding wings of the Deep crimson fangs
• Age, gender, species: 16, Raylen Rasleta (Female, kinda), Shyleran
• Appearance: Standing at a height of 152cm or 4 foot 11 inches tall this slender Rasleta is covered in crimson red scales. Colored dyes have created a number of white dyed patterns across her head, arms and back; though most will never know what they mean it details a myth involving a old Reslata who was taken to the stars by their goddess. Her long tail actually ends into spike-like points, though they do little. She has the normal elongated purple eyes as is common for the species.
• Personality: Bound by loyalty to her ship and crew not a unusual behavior for the Raylen. Powered by a fervor of curiosity to explore the galaxy and explore understand the other races. All of this is only reinforced by the constant need for stimulation and restlessness. Polite but quick tempered she can often react a little strongly to provocation but it is rarely an aggressive response, just a loud mouthed one. Like many she holds their religion to heart and while she detests violence, she hopes each that befalls to it finds the peace with their gods.
• Equipment:
  • Stun-blades: Electrically charged removable implants placed upon the upper arms extensions. These both provide minor protection to the exoskeletal blade as well as provide a large electric current to stun a target as well as improving the ability to use her electroreceptive perception. The current is not-lethal but it can be painful and capable of stopping non-protected targets.
  • SMSIII Thermalpulse Rifle: The Shilmoran Military Standard Thermalpulse Rifle Mk III is a powerful standard grade military weapon for the Shyleran people. It creates a high pressure sonic wave based on certain kinds of arthropods. The pressure wave on land is a powerful sonic pulse and in water a thermal pulse following the heated wave. It can tear through organic matter and pass through thin metals or armor without issue. It has a effective range and increased damage change like that of many human shotguns, being at close range increasing lethality.
  • Irona's Holopad: A wearable holo-computer that stores her personal AI assistant Irona that she programmed back in the academy. Its emitters project holograms primarily on the lower right arm, it can also project one in-front of her or at her eyes depending on the nature of the task. It is both powerful and capable. Irona usually handles most of the non-critical piloting itself with Tarlena taking command when its a important situation. Irona is fully sentient capable of thought, speech and creativity; expect arguments on the bridge.
• History: Tarlena was born like many of her kind on the home-world of Halcyon though her Raylen Parents were actually from Sephron III space-station. She grew up her first year of life like many, in the under sea settlements near the Shilmora that hatched them. Then once both air and sea were breathable her parents returned to take her to the space-station. Growing up surrounded by dusty vents and piping, wiring and space-ships Tarlena became obsessed in only one thing, the stars she could see from the viewing chamber. To fly among them and not be bound in these static stations she was living on. She went through a long rebellious moment in her youth that almost prevented her from being accepted to the stations military-core yet with some luck she managed. Passing both her AI management class as well as her piloting training at eight, at top of the class. She spent the next two years till her coming of age serving aboard the local range patrol ships as an assistant and emergency pilot; not the most uncommon for young Raylen. It was not till the day before her coming of age that the ship she was serving on the SS_Resseen came under fire by a unknown pirate vessel, the damage to the ship was great but if it wasn't for Tarlena's work, it and its crew would all be a memory now. This almost entirely ensured that over the next five years she was able to freely get a post on any spacecraft she would like once she recovered her wounds. With additional military-grade training she has become regarded as one of the best pilots for small craft in Sephrons defense core. When the Hermes was being presented she took the opportunity both to stop those pirating but also to see out further into the stars.
• Crew Specialization: Helmsman or Flight Officer; she is responsible for the navigation and piloting of the Hermes. With aid of her AI assistant Irora, she is capable of handling the ship both in and out of combat scenarios with quite the finesse and skill. Talena and Irora also handle the plotting of navigation without additional effort.
• Combat Specialization:
  • Close-quarters specialist: Either through use of the stun-blades and the thermal-pulse rifle, Tarlena is capable of dealing a lot of damage quickly, quietly and without issue at a short range. With hormonal and pheromone treatments she is capable of of healing wounds quicker and deeper than most of her kind though by no means is she invulnerable and this is not her primary form of training, it is very much secondary.
• Trivia: Anything interesting you haven't mentioned yet about your character? Ill think about this.

• Face Name: Ambassador Rhanta Vividoris
  • True name: the Blackend Skies of the Frozen Winged Rettan
• Age, gender, species: 28, Raylen Reslata (Male, kinda), Shyleran
• Appearance: Covered in aquan blue scales that shimmer slightly in any kind of bright light Rhanta stands tall and proud. He has few dyed patterns on his scales, none of his face while across his chest and arms in purple some simplistic lines that together trace in a fine wave. His fin extensions are chipped lightly at their base in a pattern of thee small triangles on each; it represents the six previous positions he has held thus far. His purple eyes common for the species and sharp and knowing.
• Personality: A negotiator above all else but one always on the side of his people. He believes that the other races show much potential to grow and aid their own in growth. Spending a lot of time around other species he has begun to adopt a very animated body-language to try and convey some form of advance emotion. He is quite arrogant in his approach but his methods do employ a soft touch to them.
• Equipment: "Clothes" and general amenities and electronics. Very few other things, no weapons or similar it just isn't his style. The embassy already has a Commune Sphere back to the Shilmora and governmental networks allowing for uninterrupted connection home even with most forms of jamming or tampering. He also has a digital archive of photographs taken while traveling to other worlds, of the people he has met and seen.
• History:
  • Having grew up in the polar regions of Halcyon deep beneath the surface for many years, Rhanta grew up quickly as a promising candidate for politics and was tutored by his Shilmora. From there he went onto having many many years in politics and traveling in space, doing trade missions with the various races, exploring other worlds for both business and pleasure and has overall learned a great number of things. In total six previous ambassadorial positions have been held, many specializing in trade were held. Out of all the worlds he traveled to, earth is certainly one he found the most interesting however, he is certainly a sentimentalist. His career has been a remarkably successful one, actually oddly so. Very few bumps along the way, if that is due to careful maneuvering or other forms of tactics never discovered... It is not known.
• Credentials
  • Rhanta spent years studying and grew up in the glacial cities at the southern pole of Halcyon. His study was entirely organised by the Frozen Winged Rettan or Lavatelosh'deala; the Shilmora who birthed his egg. With training in economics, history and over a dozen intergalactic languages. He was always intended to become an ambassador and after several successes solving local disputes between colonies then trade agreements between local colonies and other species he was appointed to the GA position.
• Trivia: Anything interesting you haven't mentioned yet about your character? Ill think about this as well.
  • Family present at point unity:
    • Gamana Yriona; "the Parted Seas of the Shining Clouds" Rhanta's mate and companions, plus assistant at the embassy.
    • Fennos Yriona; "the Young Vulpa of the Frozen Winged Rettan" his young Reslatan "son" whom lives with him at the embassy being tutored digitally and by Gamana and Rhanta himself; he is not of age yet, just a child.

edited 20th Feb '16 3:29:20 AM by darkdestinysoul

Parable, the Nomad Stars are Accepted.

Are you still taking signups? This looks fun as hell.

Yeah, I'll be taking a couple more signups.

Any thoughts on the updated Le'Ka empire?

Alright, finished my signup! Sorry for the delay.

This looks pretty good, Locoman. The Ummat Ascendancy is Accepted.

Echoing Silence: The Le'ka Alliance is also Accepted.

edited 15th Jan '16 6:33:43 PM by AllHailThrall

Alright, finally finished this and trimmed it down. It's still big, but it's a bit smaller than Blackfire's.

• Name: Full title, "Savages of Jotun". Often shortened to just, "Savages".

• Species: Nisi and gleep. Approximately 642 billion nisi, approximately 74 billion gleep, approximately 2 billion other immigrants. (718 billion total)
  • Nisi are humanoid, digitigrade, felenid, and carnivorous. They are covered in fur, coming in a wide variety of colors and patterns; most individuals have one primary color and random splotches of a second color. They have two eyes, above one nose, above one mouth; their face protrudes slightly forward around the mouth, but is otherwise mostly flat. Two ears, located to either side on the top of their head, come in a variety of triangular shapes, which forms the basis for nisi social demographics. In general, nisi are less intelligent than average among sapient species, but have very good agility, dexterity, reflexes, and overall speed; they are a sprint endurance species, easily capable of quick bursts of intense physical activity, but less capable of physical activity for extended periods of time. They have low endurance.

Nisi have an exaggerated gender dimorphism. Females make up roughly 65% of the population, typically stand between 4'10" and 5'6", the majority being right around 5', and live on average 90-100 years; Females are considered the "average" for nisi when it comes to everything written above. Males make up only about 35% of the population, typically stand between 5'10" and 6'6", the majority being taller than 6', and live on average 80-90 years; Males are considerably stronger than Females, have a greater endurance and fortitude than Females, but are also slower, less agile and dexterous, and have even lower average intelligence. Nisi in general tend to be more driven by instinct than rational thought, this holding especially true for the Males, who at times can seem little more than glorified animals. Males have two main instincts: Never stay in the same place for long, and protect Female nisi in their presence from harm.

• Gleep are hexapedal, reptoavian, and herbivorous; they are remarkably similar to Terran iguanas, with six legs. Covered in small scales that come in virtually any color, and additionally have small feather-like growths along their spine, going from the top of their head to about one third down the length of their tail, usually a darker shade of the scales' color. Gleep stand only about a foot tall, but their bodies average about four feet long, and their tail about a foot and a half, making the total five and a half feet long. Of their six legs, the front and middle sets both point forward, optimized for burrowing; the rear set of legs point back and are a bit larger, providing more strength for forward movement. Gleep are as intelligent as humans on average, meaning most are more intelligent than nisi, but lack opposable thumbs or vocal cords, making them easily mistaken for being a non-sapient species to an uninformed observer. Gleeps' average lifespan are about 60-80 years.

• History: Hailing from the tropical jungle world of Jotun, nisi and gleep had been living in their stone age for an indeterminate amount of time; nisi were the dominate apex predators, using organized hunting tactics and crude tools, while gleep were simply one of many species of prey that they hunted. Near the end of the era of viela upliftings, the viela found the nisi through their vassals. The viela planned to uplift the nisi into another vassal species; to this end, the viela had a force of sirians occupy Jotun, and begin instructing the nisi about technology, while the viela prepared genetic modifications. The gleep were seen as wild animals, and thus left alone. Though there was practically no nisi society to speak of, this nevertheless was seen as a hostile invasion and occupation, anger towards which was directed to the sirians. Before the vielas' plans were finished, another of their vassal races began uprising, and the sirians occupying Jotun were recalled, leaving the nisi on their own.

A brief, brutal time of conflict occurred among the nisi, turning their new technology on each other. A prominent faction arose: the Uabarritaen nisi, remnants of the vielas' unfinished project to genetically modify the nisi; considerably larger and stronger than normal nisi, these Uabarritaen nisi believed, or at least claimed, that they were sirian-nisi crossbreeds,^note A sirian-nisi crossbreed is actually physically impossible; the species' genetic structures are incompatible. and claimed it was their duty to finish what the viela started. With their claimed association with sirians, the Uabarritaen nisi were despised among other nisi. With their physical advantage, holding most of the technology that had been left behind, and being unified as opposed to the rest of the nisi who were infighting, the Uabarritaen nisi easily handled any resistance, and were setting up to conquer the planet.

However, one nisi chieftess rose to oppose them, and rallied all the nisi tribes she could reach against the Uabarritaen nisi. Exploiting both her numerical superiority and the Uabarritaen nisis' arrogance, the nisi chieftess defeated them, eventually driving them to extinction. In the process, all nisi were inadvertently unified into one faction; their time of warring among themselves had ended. The chieftess became known as the first Warlord, and the nisi turned their focus to mastering the rest of the technology left behind and advancing themselves, knowing that the viela and sirians came from space; out there were space faring nations that could still threaten the nisi.

In time, the nisi achieved space flight and FTL, and began exploring and colonizing. Being relatively close by in galactic terms, the nisi made contact with the sirians, now independent from the missing viela as the Sirian Union; realizing this was the same species that had occupied their planet during their ancestors' times, the nisi declared the sirians to be their sworn enemies, and went to war. It was costly on both sides, lasting for a number of years until the Warlord of the time was overthrown, and the next Warlord sued for a cease fire with the Sirian Union. The cease fire lasted for a few years until that Warlord was overthrown by a new Warlord, who ended the cease fire and resumed the war. This cycle of Warlords being overthrown to make a cease fire, or end it, continued for just over fifty years, some warlords reigns lasting only a few weeks. This series of conflicts would later be known by both nations as the Raider Wars.

This was eventually broken by Warlord Fese Highhunter, whom overthrew the previous Warlord after realizing the nisi were slowly losing space as the Raider Wars continued; eventually the Sirian Union would win due to their superior technology and augmented biology. Fese made a plan to end the Raider Wars once and for all with the White Stars Agreement; a peace treaty between the nisi and sirians with many stipulations, the gist of which was ending all military hostility and generally leaving each other alone from then on. Through some miracle of cultural fiats and clever wording, Fese Highhunter made it seem to the nisi populous that breaking the White Stars Agreement would be dishonorable; while the sirians were and are still universally hated among them, there was no longer any support for continuing the Raider Wars.

The nisi turned their attention back to technological development, and expansion of their borders. It was not long after that various lab experiments discovered that gleep were fully sapient; until then, they had still been considered and treated as just another type of animal, domesticated for meat product. Fese Highhunter's successor, Akay Ironmoon, declared all gleep to be citizens of the nation with equal rights to nisi. It was felt that continuing to treat the gleep as mere animals to be used would be hypocritical, considering their own issues with the way the sirians and viela treated them long ago. Considerable effort was put into educating the gleep, developing technological solutions for gleeps' natural shortcomings, and finding a place for gleep in society. A future Warlord did briefly void the law, making gleep legally animals again, but the populous was already used to gleep being citizens, and after an outcry of public backlash the Warlord reinstated the law, which has stayed since.

When the Galactic Alliance was recently formed, the nisi joined despite the sirians also being a member. The nisi did not want the sirians to have a political leverage against them among the other nations of the galaxy.

• Government: Legally, the Savages are ruled in absolute authority by the current Warlord, who can sign in whatever laws she chooses and has no checks on her power. In practice, the Warlord is expected to adhere to cultural traditions, and those who go against the will of the people tend to be overthrown quickly. The Warlord takes power by defeating the previous Warlord in a duel, and rules until she is defeated in a duel herself; thus the length of term for a Warlord is fairly random, but most tend to rule between 3-8 years.

Although every Warlord has full power to rearrange the government, most find the idea too inconvenient and disruptive, so the government structure rarely changes. Beneath the Warlord is three main departments of government: The Department of Technology, in charge of all R&D and major scientific projects. The Department of Defense, in charge of policing crime and defending the Savages' territory. And the Department of War, in charge of all foreign political relations and external military actions. Like how the Warlord gains her position via combat, so do the department chiefs and every other major position in the government; it is common for a freshly defeated Warlord, if she is not killed by her successor, to duel one of the department chiefs to take their position.

Finally, there is a secret part of the government which does not officially exist: The Red Claws, an organization of the deadliest nisi in all the Savages, trained to overcome nisis' natural shortcomings and amplifying their strengths to become some of the most skilled assassins in the known galaxy. Practically every major position of power in the government is held by a Red Claw, including the Warlord; the Red Claws who are still acting as assassins answer only to the Warlord directly.

• Military: The Savages military focuses almost exclusively on aerospace fighters and overwhelming aerial superiority, deploying almost no ground forces save for fire teams of snipers. They utilize a special technology of gravitic diffusers that temporarily control the g-forces exerted on the pilot, allowing their craft to perform maneuvers in that window of time that would normally be too dangerous to the pilot, such as suddenly switching the craft from full speed to reverse. Both of their military arms are very non-uniform; with the exception of ammunition and certain technology, very little among the Savages is kept to strict blueprints, instead being improvised upon by the workers constructing them, and modified by their users. They will also utilize foreign ships, weapons, and technology, whether bought legitimately or obtained in combat; therefore in space combat they also focus on boarding tactics, to take the enemy ship intact if possible.

• Infrastructure: The largest part of the Savages' private industrial sector is dedicated to pharmaceuticals; while technology for medical treatment in the Savages does lag behind other nations somewhat, their medicine is very well developed and easily commercially available. Controversially, this also includes many drugs that are considered illegal in other nations, and it is common for them to be marketed to tourists from said nations.

The Savages favorite thing to import is technology, especially weapons, which they typically take apart to use the components of. There is also a smaller but still prominent business of importing exotic animal meats for nisi to eat.

Law enforcement in the Savages is done through a trial by jury system, with a prosecution and defense both presenting their cases; however, the Savages do not use a warrant system, the police being automatically permitted to investigate to certain degrees based on the severity of the accused crime, up to and including arresting and holding the suspect for virtually any crime of a violent nature. All evidence gathered is considered admissible in court regardless of the degree of investigation, which is commonly abused; the police often overstep their permitted degree of investigation. Despite this, false punishment of innocent persons is extremely rare. (but not impossible) Punishment is most often imprisonment, though capital punishment is reserved for extremely heinous crimes. A long-standing law states that any criminal being sentenced to death may request a duel to the death against their accuser, though would still be put to death afterwards if they won; however, as the duel request may be denied without any change to the death sentence, it is extremely rare that this occurs.

• Culture: Savages society is dominated by Female nisi, who form into families led by a matriarch. The whole family will pursue a single career together, chosen by the matriarch, and each member of the family will either help in the career however they can, or if they cannot, help raise the children of the family. Boys remain in their family until they reach puberty, during which their instinct to wander will start and they will leave home. It is semi-common for one or a pair of gleep to live with a family of nisi in a shared household type of deal, typically helping to educate nisi children.

Savages culture is primarily based on combat, and an idea that beating someone in a duel entitles you to be in charge of them; so the matriarch of a family is whoever last beat the previous matriarch in a duel. This extends to the Savages' military and government, which is why it is dominated by Female nisi; Male nisi find it virtually impossible to duel Female nisi due to their instincts, and gleep are not as physically capable as nisi. To the Savages, any physical fight that is one on one counts as a duel, from a fist fight to a space dogfight. An important addition to this is that any woman who is pregnant is not considered as alone, and thus are not eligible to start a duel or be dueled for her position; so sometimes a woman will use pregnancy to prevent losing her position. While duels to the death are legal in the Savages, they are uncommon as culturally nisi prefer to keep their opponent alive, to boss them around.

While this culture of combat is thoroughly entrenched, in recent years there has been some progress towards accepting the idea of people gaining a position through means other than combat, mostly as a way to allow gleep to be significant in society. However, this has only extended so far to advisory or instructional positions; a gleep leader will not be seen in the Savages any time soon. Gleep culture itself is still underdeveloped, and currently remains as just a vestigial addition to the nisi culture.

For nisi, the idea of a lasting relationship is entirely foreign, as the wandering instinct of Male nisi excludes any possibility of monogamy. Gleep naturally pair for life with their first mating partner, but as a whole the gleep are still undecided on what should be the traditional means of choosing a partner before mating.

• Territory: The Savages currently has holdings on 18 planets in 12 systems, counting their home planet. They also have holdings in 2 more systems, but neither have planets that are yet atmospherically compatible with nisi and gleep.

• Trivia: The Warlord with the shortest reign was Churuay Dayspawn, who was assassinated by her own bodyguards 112 minutes after she had killed the previous Warlord in a duel; Churuay was killed after attempting to pass malignant and psychopathic laws, such as death camps for a nisi minority, and planning to break the White Stars Agreement and resume war against the Sirian Union. The Warlord with the longest reign was Gaocoual Irondemon, who ruled for seven years before being beaten in a duel; Gaocoual retook power four days later, after proving that her opponent was already pregnant during the duel, thus voiding the duel's legitimacy. She then ruled with high popularity for another 12 years, until conceding defeat to a challenging successor without a fight, saying she'd like to live to see her great grandchildren. She retired from politics and lived peacefully until dying of old age 52 years later, at age 96.

It was never officially recorded, so it's uncertain why the Savages nation is named as such. The most accepted story is that it was taken because angry sirians called them that during the viela occupation.

edited 16th Jan '16 3:11:35 AM by FirockFinion

Looks pretty good. The Savages of Jotun are Accepted.

Took me long enough.

• Name: The Ydyffan Fleet.
• Species: The Ydyff resemble dog-sized crows with extra feet. They have everything from four to twelve appendages, with the two biggest serving as legs, the next-biggest serve as "hands" with opposable thumbs, while the rest are either for fighting, with big nasty claws, also serve as hands, or are mostly useless. They tend to be physically weak but dexterous and fast, having evolved from forest-dwelling avians. The average Ydyffan lifespan is about 190 years.
• History: The Ydyff rose on the planet Aelium, together with a felinoid race, the Fijj. Most of their history consisted of an endless war — sometimes hot, sometimes cold, but always running. The balance shifted to and fro for hundreds of years, but neither side could achieve complete victory. Attempts at diplomacy always failed, if not immediately, then after a generation. The Ydyff discovered space-flight around 1600 CE and immediately started to exploit Aelium's moon and the surrounding planets for resources; robotics were developed as well, though not past the remote-controlled stage. Two hundred years later, they achieved FTL flight, and for a while it seemed that their ages-long war with the Fijj was nearing its end — the resources from various celestial bodies made the Ydyff gain the upper hand. However, the Fijj secretly researched biological weaponry, and around 1900 CE spread a virus tailor-made to be fatal to Ydyff and only to Ydyff. The Ydyffan population was exterminated almost to a man; the survivors fled spacewards. From that point onwards, the Ydyff lived solely on their ships, drifting from star system to star system. They encountered the Fessk in 2012, and after some tense meetings agreed to become a vassal race of the Fasil Republic.
  Six hundred years later, the Ydyff amassed enough technological know-how, firepower and populace to attempt to reconquer Aelium. They did so easily, but the Fijj activated a doomsday device that detonated a month afterwards, wiping a majority of the planet's population and making it uninhabitable. A grieving Ydyffan scientist reverse-engineered one of the Fijj's viruses and used it to wipe them out; the Ydyffan leadership awarded her the Medal of Valor — the highest Ydyffan decoration — for finally finishing their ages-long war with the Fijj, then summarily executed her for genocide.
  Bereft of a liveable homeworld, the Ydyff returned to their ships. They started the long process of planteforming Aelium, which is expected to take hundreds of years. The Ydyffan Fleet is one of the founding members of the Galactic Alliance, having been members of the Systems Trade League for a long time.
• Government: The Ydyffan Fleet is a meritocracy governed by a council of Admirals. The military has a slight majority of admirals, with the rest being merchants and academics, but the military's majority isn't large enough to make the council do anything. Below that, each ship is governed by its Captain, whose say is final, but the merit-based system ensures that only the best and the brightest reach that station.
• Military: All Ydyffan ships double as military ships; if a Ydyffan is not in active service, she is probably a reservist of some sort. The Ydyffan Fleet is the Ydyffan military; their planet-side capabilities are under-developed, but their ships are only second to the Fessk's, and their robotics are advanced. However, the Ydyff prefer to barter with or bribe their enemies, viewing military engagements as wasteful. They are not above hiring Sirian mercenaries when it suits them.
• Infrastructure: As mentioned, the Ydyff use advanced robotics when possible; communication is carried using the standard radio/infra-red/laser/whatnot means, with ships having internal "wi-fi" for everyday needs. Inter-ship transport is achieved in smaller ships, with the smallest resembling power armour ("Sirians' clothes" in Ydyffan jargon).
  Generations of life on spaceships molded the Ydyff into a marshalled, disciplined people; since law-breaking can endanger the whole ship, it is swiftly dealt with. Furthermore, the Ydyff's merit-based way of life ensures that hard work pays off. Those two factors mean that crime is nearly nonexistent.
• Culture:
  • The Ydyff are, by necessity and tradition, an ascetic people. The only sort of possession that isn't frowned upon is information — books, music, and the like. Most Ydyff live on the bare minimum required for a healthy life. Ambition is instead channelled toward excellence in one's profession.
  • The arts are focused on painting and poetry, with metre and clever wordplay playing a large part in the latter.
  • The Ydyffan language, Kshonlodesh, consists of caws, clicks and chirps made by a specialised layer of feathers. It lends itself to wordplay quite easily. However, it is nigh-impossible to use without a beak and the aforementioned feather layer.
  • Religion is seen as a private matter among the Ydyff, and holds no sway in public space. The majority of Ydyffans are either secular or misotheistic, owing to the two near-extinctions of their race. The latter tend to view religious aliens with pity.
  • The Ydyff hold Aelium in high regard, though most speak bitterly of its ruined state.
  • Tying in to that, the Ydyff have a kneejerk reaction against felinoid species, thanks to their war with the Fijj.
• Territory: The Ydyffan Fleet holds Aelium and its system, as well as the nearest one — simply called "the second system" in most Ydyffan texts — but most of the population lives on board the ships. Some have never set foot on a planet. They also have a few bases on Fessk soil, mostly used for ship building and repair. The Ydyffan population clocks at around 50 billion.
• Trivia: Nothing ATM.

I'm interested in this. I already have something in mind for my signup. How many more signups can be accepted?

Heya, just posting to express my interest. Will see if I can come up with something soonish.