The Samsara WOrld Book
You can use this ever-expanding world book as you would an encyclopedia, learning about the history, cultures, militaries, and wildlife of each of the unique civilizations taking refuge on Samsara—all that is left of the universe and all its glory.
Vella'ic Civilizations
The Vella'i are generally white, tall, light-haired humans with distinct cultures and traditions that emerge from the ancient and now destroyed Vella'i civilization—the ancestral people of all of the remaining Vella'ic civilizations. The are Elydia, Enoch, Lyril, Scilor Ayl, and Vahl.
ELYDIA
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Among the three sister nations—Elydia, Lyril, and Scilor Ayl—the Elydians were the closest to their hero, Enoch. In the Old World, the Elydians were the only one of the sister nations to venture to space on their own, without the help of the Enochians. In the first years after the original Vella'i had seeded life on Elydia, long, long before, the Elydians developed their technology and culture only modestly.
They maintained the religious traditions of their ancestors but developed their own interpretations over the ages. Their culture and understanding of the Path of the Vella'i grew to accept foreign peoples, and even allow for the interbreeding of Elydians with descendants of the Nunonites and Shimei, giving rise to the Gray Vella'i—a practice condemned, of course, by Enoch.
The tolerant nature of Elydian society made for the world's first known cosmopolitan Vella'ic civilization. On Samsara, this tradition continued, and the people of Elydia, though primarily comprised of descendants of the Vella'i, live side by side with other races from across the universe, and where genetically possible, give rise to new races of man.
Geography, Politics, and Economy
Elydia shares many of its geographical features with Enoch, who organized the terraforming of Elydia before the Elydians arrived. The Elydian landscape is full of wildlife and verdant green, and has the advantage of a long, continuous, Galene Ocean coast.
Like in the Old World, the monarchy in Enoch is the source of many Elydian decisions, but on Samsara, too, there are some differences. Elydia, being a much more open society than Enoch, allows Gray Vella'i and non-Vella'i peoples to participate in its government—a democracy. So, although most delegates in the Elydian politic are Vella'i, Nunonite and Shimei influences tend to carry some weight.
Economically, the Elydians have taken full advantage of the fortunate ocean access, and it therefore has some of the largest and most active ports in the world. It doesn't export many of its own products, but it runs logistics throughout the East and offers a variety of related services, which comprise much of its limited economic wealth. Being Enoch's favorite of the sister nations, it also enjoys strong economic ties with its Enochian allies, even though Elydia is far less developed.
Military and Diplomacy
Elydia largely relies on Enoch for protection, but it maintains forces strong enough to put up a good fight. Elydia wields a reasonable force of tanks and attack helicopters, though few jets. But its military is well-known for its navy, and more specifically for its Water Moons: giant floating platforms housing up to one million soldiers and thousands of smaller craft—essentially floating, military cities. In the Old World, hundreds of Elydians lived on these floating cities. On Samsara, the practice continued, but with a military purpose.
Diplomatically, Elydia generally follows the Enochians. But Elydia has stronger ties with Nunonite and Shimei civilizations, simply because of its demographic structure, although it rarely acts out of step with its protector.
Wildlife
Elydia, unlike Enoch, still has a strong predator population. These predators are mostly bears, bearcats of many sizes, quinnopa, and various species of wolves and foxes. The prey is also bountiful, but fewer than in Enoch.
Elydia is also home to some unique prey species with no known ancestors in Vella'i nations, including the Elydian Bear, a non-predatory and extremely fat bear, and also the Elydian Elephant, a miniature elephant with a particularly playful demeanor. Some native Samsaran species, prey and predator both, also still roam the less visited regions of the Elydian forests.
Elydia is green everywhere. It is home to many Vella'i species of flowing ferns and large-trunked trees, but plants from various other civilizations seemed to have found their way to the Elydian home planet at some point in the Old World, and a few of them even managed to interbreed with Vella'i species, creating strange families of ferns that seem to change form and color with each new generation, while maintaining uniformity across the species, baffling botanists across the globe. The Elydians made an effort to bring them to Samsara.
History
Elydia was founded sometime before Cosmic War One, and likely before the mysterious disappearance of the Vella'ic civilization. In the Old World, Elydia's home planet sat right in the Western Belt, relatively close to many other Nunonite civilizations. Although intergalactic travel was made trivial by the MSC ports enabled by the Tritons, rendering physical proximity between civilizations unnecessary, many civilizations still visited nearby star systems using more traditional near-light-speed travel, allowing Elydia to form a special relationship with some of the Nunonite civilizations in its cosmic neighborhood. Elydia failed, however, to develop much of its own space-faring technology, often buying ships from the Nunonites or Enochians.
When the Great Collapse began, the Enochians and Senecians helped the Elydians transport their plants and animals to Samsara, where the Elydians chose to integrate their plant life with Samsara's natural plant species. They encountered issues with Samsaran native predators at first, however, given the gravity shift, but the Enochians helped the Elydians cull the native population—no simple task. Most countries that were able to rid their territories of Samsaran native wildlife had to destroy the forests completely to do so. But because Elydia chose to integrate its home world with its region on Samsara, now, in Year 738, some of the forest species still maintain breeding populations in the remote forests.
Enoch
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
The Enochians take pride in their long-held belief that they are the true and purest kin of the Vella'i. The Enochian disposition toward outsiders seems to follow from this belief, and thus, few foreigners tend to find refuge within the lands Enoch claims as its own. As were the Vella'i, the Enochians are tall and fit, white and blonde, their hair often as white as their ghostly skin. Some still worship in the traditions of the Vella'i, or what of those traditions still remains, but most have forgone the faith of their ancestors and refocused on the more earthly pleasures.
Enochians generally wear white robes over their loose-fitting clothing and prefer not to show much of their skin. They generally live quite comfortable lives and seek the "higher pleasures" for entertainment, such as art, theater, operas, and orchestral music. Unwritten but fairly fixed social strata form the structure of society, and social events tend not to veer too far from the types of high-class activities one might expect at such events, and, of course, from classes of guests that comprise that social strata.
Enoch is home to few cultures which were not originally part of the grand Enochian civilization. Some of the few non-Enochians who live within its territory are the "Gray Vella'i," who migrated from Elydia or Lyril in search of refuge during the Triton Wars. They mostly live on the outskirts and in the forests or in more densely populated areas of the cities, for the Enochian high-class society is seldom welcoming to those of blood less pure. For this reason, the Nunonites and other ethnic branches have also kept their distance.
Geography, Politics, and Economy
Enoch enjoys many geographical advantages, including fertile soil, access to abundant water sources, mountains to its east protecting it against Savarian aggressions, and direct access to the Ocean of Neera Kara to its north—in many ways a reflection of the benefits afforded by the geography of its home planet. It rains often in Enoch, but storms seem to form just as quickly as they recede—that is, almost out of nowhere.
Enoch is ruled by an emperor, coming from a line of emperors that stretches thousands of years into the Old World to the very founding of the civilization. Its emperors claim to trace their genealogy all the way back to the first Vella'i, the founders of the religion of the Path of the Vella'i. Although many components of the day-to-day in Enochian government seem to reflect that of Nunonite democracies, the emperor always has the final say and makes all this big decisions. But that does not mean he acts without being influenced by the great wealth that flows through the civilization.
The Enochians export a few high-tech, manufactured goods such as hydrogen-powered vehicles and air transports, but a most of the Enochian economy, much like Se Lance, is built off of institutional wealth and trade agreements that tend to favor its people. The dirtier jobs in Enoch, such as cleaning, general maintenance, manufacturing, and the like, are generally held by the Gray Vella'i, as the pureblood Enochians see these duties as beneath them.
Military and Diplomacy
Enoch is a regional powerhouse. Its military is well-respected and rarely tested, but it battle-hardens its soldiers by training them in real battles against Fallout warlords—an unwinnable war which Enoch has never intended to win.
Enoch's military is fully modernized—to Samsaran standards—with a powerful navy, army, and air force. Its navy is one of the strongest in the world, and its most elite special forces unit, the white guard, is feared around the world.
Perhaps one of Enoch's most powerful military advantages is its strong diplomacy. Outside of its incursions into the Fallout, Enoch's military hardly leaves its borders. And its adversaries want to keep it that way. Enoch maintains cordial relationships with most of the world, and even during the Triton Wars, was hesitant to join and protect the Tritons. And even though when it did side with the Global Liberation Force of the East, many historians believe it played both sides behind the scenes. Its cold diplomatic style, backed by its military might, renders Enoch one of the most powerful forces on Samsara.
Wildlife
Verdant green covers most of the Enochian countryside, and often its cities as well. The Enochians are happy to let well-maintained plants integrate with their cities. In fact, it's a critical feature of Enochian style. Ferns and grasses and shrubs and trees of many kinds can be found throughout the country, but most come from Enoch's home planet. When Enoch transported its people to Samsara, it also brought its soil. Although many civilizations did this as well, none to the extent that Enoch has.
Few large Enochian predators still exist because in the Old World they'd been hunted to extinction. The only large predator left is the Enochian Wolf—a large, gray wolf with a calm demeanor and extra-long canines. Most say it only survived because of the sheer number of them kept as pets.
As for prey animals, there are many species of deer, moose, okapis, hetherfells, birds, rakra, and wild horse, as well as the smaller mammalian critters that fill most ecosystems. The Path of the Vella'i requires that non-predatory animals are only hunted when they will be eaten—one of the few behaviors from the religion that Enochians chose to adopt, so there are plenty of these animals found throughout the countryside, and often in the cities as well.
History
Enoch was founded sometime before Cosmic War One and was, at the onset of the war, second only to the Western Kingdom in terms of its power and reach. It was also the most powerful and populous Vella'ic civilization. After Cosmic War Two, however, which left Vahl mostly unaffected, Vahl carried the torch of Vella'ic power and took over as the most powerful Vella'ic nation. The two civilizations have been tense ever since.
But Enoch's power was still undeniable, all the way up to the Great Collapse. It was somewhat of a protector of the much less militarily developed Vella'ic nations of Lyril, Scilor Ayl, and Elydia. It also helped transport them to Samsara, where Enoch, once again, became a regional power.
The Enochians claim to be genetically closest to the original Vella'ic people, before the Vella’i mysteriously disappeared and only persisted through the culture and genetics of its children nations.
Lyril
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Lyril is the little sister among the three Vella’ic sister nations, although its culture has been the most consistent. Since its inception many millennia earlier, Lyril experienced very little technological progress, failing to reach space on its own. This may have been, however, less a matter of failure, and more so one of focus. The Lyrillians were deeply religious in the Old World, as they are on Samsara, carrying the Path of the Vella'i through time with the little adulteration. They meticulously maintained their traditions on their home planet and felt little need to explore the world beyond them. They do not eat or use animal products and even refuse to fell a tree unless in accordance with the Path of the Vella'i.
Some say that because of Lyrillian isolation since Lyril was seeded by the Vella'i, the Lyrillians have been the true bearers of the Vella'ic way, and the carriers of the purest Vella'ic blood. The Enochians, of course, scoff at this theory, but there may be something to be said of the Lyrillian interpretation of Vella'ic texts, which appears to be much closer to that of the Elydians than it is to the Enochians.
On Samsara, the Lyrillians live in the forests in humble homes. They have few cities, but their urban centers intertwine with the natural landscape. Some non-Vella'ic people migrated to Lyril, most notably Artillians, but very little interbreeding took place—the Lyrillians are a shy, domestic people, but their cultural and genetic homogeneity is much more a product of their reserved and timorous natures than it is an insistence on preserving their Vella'ic lineage.
Geography, Politics, and Economy
Lyril, like Enoch and the other sister nations, benefits from ocean access, fertile soil, and a favorable climate. Surrounded by allies, it also enjoys a geographical sense of security. It rains often in Lyril and the nation has a number of small mountain ranges, but its most distinguishing geographical feature is that countless small rivers run through it in every direction, and all over.
There are also rumors that the mythical Gardens of Lyril, a life-giving area of forest fed water by a small, nourishing delta, were transported to Samsara without much change. The Lyrillians didn't have access to excavators and ships of the size that would be needed to do this, but legend has it that the Lyrillian Rangers stole the ships that allowed them to.
Politically, Lyril follows the Path of the Vella'i, as they interpret it. While the Enochians take these vaguely worded texts to describe a monarchy, the Lyrillians have went the other direction. The line in question, crudely translated from ancient Vella’i, of course, goes something like: “Society is best governed by a single body, which is all its members.”
One can see how such a text could be interpreted as prescribing total decentralization or an absolute monarch. Going by the former interpretation, the Lyrillians don't do much governing at all, leaving it to localities to form religious and cultural practices which create the necessary order. And it seems to work.
That being said, the Lyrillian political system only really works for Lyril. Its citizens are mostly farmers and they have barely even embraced modern transportation technology, using horses and various Cervidae species for personal transportation and to carry goods. The Lyrillians don't export much besides their crops and medicinal herbs, and its people live a somewhat hand-to-mouth kind of life. But they don't seem to mind.
Military and Diplomacy
Lyril wields very little military power and is quite lucky to be protected from Savarian or other aggressions by its fortunate position between allies. Not only does Lyril have no formal military, Lyrillians are against ever having one. The Path of the Vella'i, or at least their interpretation of it, forbids it.
The Path of the Vella'i does, however, vaguely permit a loose, informal group of warriors to exist to protect the life and livelihoods which the Path of the Vella'i sets out to promote. For this reason, a mysterious group called the Lyrillian Rangers maintain an extremely skillful group of an unknown number of warriors protect Lyril with methods of subterfuge and asymmetric warfare.
Diplomatically, Lyril plays almost no role in global politics. Enoch often acts on its behalf in the Grand Hall.
Wildlife
Lyril is much like its green, verdant home world—eerily like its home world. This is a very curious reality, because the Lyrillian home planet was destroyed in the Great Collapse before the Creation Project was announced to the universe; the effort to evacuate plant and animal life to Samsara started after Lyril was destroyed. It is rumored that word got to Lyril earlier than to other civilizations, and that the Lyrillian Rangers hijacked hundreds of giant transports to begin the evacuation early.
Lyril is a world of forests, lakes, ponds, and rivers, and every kind of plant and animal that comes with it. This does include some predators, like bears, nessors, foxes, and wolves, but they are generally less aggressive than similar species in other nations. Its prey is abundant as well, and fear not the Lyrillian humans, for the humans have been strictly vegetarian for many thousands of years, and so they evolved symbiotically.
History
Lyril's origins are unknown. It is one of the most remote civilizations in the known universe, residing many galaxies away from any other known form of life. MSC ports made this possible, but even so, Lyril had few visitors.
It is thought that Lyril was one of the Vella'i's earliest colonies and has been somewhat of a time-capsule ever since. No one can be sure. But, outside of the secret missions of the Lyrillian Rangers, Lyril was not involved in the Great Cosmic Wars. It just kind of continued with its way of life for millennia until the Great Collapse.
Once the Great Collapse began, the Lyrillians somehow learned of Samsara early, so it is said. The Lyrillian Rangers then went on a spree of commandeering space transports and bringing its people, illegally or otherwise, to Samsara, and salvaging all the life it could.
Scilor Ayl
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Of the Vella'ic civilizations, the Scilorians are the least concerned with their Vella'ic heritage and culture, although their physical features have only deviated in the form of the darkening of their hair and the breadth of their chests, and perhaps a slight reduction in their height. They are Vella'ic peoples, nevertheless, as much as Enoch would like to sever the ancestral connection.
The Scilorians are rougher and less cultured than the rest of the Vella'ic people. When not living in Scilor Ayl's few, poorly maintained urban centers, they, like the Lyrillians, tend to live in the woods and live off of the land. Unlike the Lyrillians, however, they hunt game for sustenance and raise livestock.
Scilorians have developed only little technology in both the Old World and Samsara, perhaps in part due to the rough geography of their land in both time periods. But they fully embrace this lifestyle and feel no compunction over deviations from the Path of the Vella'i. In fact, some Scilorians are proud of it.
Geography, Politics, and Economy
The Scilorian mountains can be quite unforgiving. Few plants are edible and the storms are harsh, as are the rapid and drastic changes in temperature overnight, just like on the Scilorian home planet. And politics in Scilor Ayl can change just as rapidly.
Scilorians sometimes have more in common with Drrundornavordans than they do Enochians. They tend to organize themselves into regional factions with local despots, and these factions often go to war with one another in times of boom, and when the population drops, they find peace. Most Scilorians, however, remain unaffected by these political vicissitudes because they live solitary lives off of their own plots of land, only emerging to search for their wives, or accept visitors when prospective husbands come around to try to court another household's daughter.
Economically, Scilor Ayl has very little to offer. The civilization never recovered from the Cosmic Wars, and its people have since lived hand to mouth, surviving off of local game and trading trinkets, tools, and furs.
Military and Diplomacy
Scilor Ayl maintains no formal military, but invading Scilor Ayl would not be wise. Not only does Enoch, even though the Enochians think of Scilorians as less Vella'i, consider Scilor Ayl under its sphere of influence, but the Scilorians would be nearly impossible to manage. They are a cantankerous bunch with their own ideas of how they want to live their lives, and nearly every Scilorian is armed with something and willing to use it. Plus, they're so spread throughout the country that even a full-scale invasion would be dealing with violent confrontations with the locals a century after the occupation began.
Enoch tries to speak for Scilor Ayl on international issues, but the Scilorians don't seem to mind so long as no one shows up in their territory. This ultimately gives Enoch more diplomatic weight and outsources a job the Scilorians have no interest for. So, everybody wins. Except for Enoch's adversaries.
Wildlife
The volatility of Scilor Ayl's climate caused its plant life to evolve a hardiness and an ability to regenerate quickly as soon as conditions are ripe. This quality allows the plant life to sustain an incredible abundance of herbivore species, and of course, therefore, predators. Enough game, in fact, to sustain the massive population of Scilorians, many who eat meat alone.
Scilor Ayl’s prey animals are similar to what you might find in any Vella'ic nation, but they are usually a bit grittier. Its deer, for example, have evolved to show more aggression and to fight as herds by charging through the forest like a wall. Its predators, too, are quite a bit tougher, not only having to contend with the nation’s harsh climate, but with the jeejeeras who are constantly making their way over from Fervus.
In the Old World, Scilor Ayl was a slightly bigger planet than that of most other intelligent civilizations, so its animals have been able to keep the jeejeeras at bay, given their increased speed and strength on Samsara. The Gray Mountain Leopard, something like a large snow leopard adjusted to a harsher gravity, seems to prefer jeejeera meat. The fights can go either way, but there are enough of these fierce leopards on Scilor Ayl's borders to keep the jeejeeras from reaching too far into the hinterland.
History
Although Scilor Ayl's origins are unknown, the history having been destroyed in the Great Cosmic Wars, legend has it that it was once the underbelly of the original Vella'i. The home planet, it is said, was the place to which the wanted Vella'i would run off after falling out of the Vella'i's good graces. Some even say that the Vella'i used to send their prisoners to this planet, and they eventually developed a civilization of their own.
Either way, Scilor Ayl’s culture and international presence has been consistent through time. It played little role in the Great Cosmic Wars, besides perhaps providing a hiding place for fugitives on both sides, and it, as a result, suffered little damage because of them. Many Scilorians refused when the Enochian ships came down to bring the plant and animal life to Samsara. In fact, the Senecians seemed to have better luck, despite Senecus being a land of Nunonites!
Vahl
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Vahl, although contested by some scholars, is still considered one of the Vella'ic civilizations. The people of Vahl resemble white Nunonites more than they do the Vella'i, and their culture resembles that of the Nunonites as well. But their genetic and ethnic roots remain nestled in Vella'i ancestry.
This is not to say, however, that Vahl does not have its fair share of foreign peoples. Many Nunonite cultures and cultures of unknown or forgotten origin have settled in Vahl, making it one of the most cosmopolitan human societies on Samsara, as it once was in the Old World.
Vahl is a modernized society and somewhat of a reflection of the world's many cultures. Although various non-humanoid, intelligent species have settled in Vahl, the non-human population accounts for less than five percent of its total population, which is still a hefty group; Vahl is one of the most populous and urbanized populations on Samsara.
Its people enjoy most available modern conveniences: cars, refrigerators, air conditioning, etc. Like most of Samsara, however, aside from routine medical applications, the more advanced technologies like genetic manipulation and cybernetic enhancements are available to most citizens, but such things are not of interest to most Vahlans.
Geography, Politics, and Economy
In the Old World, Vahl's home planet was particularly flat, and it terraformed its off-world colonies to share that feature. So, on Samsara it was allocated land that was naturally flat as well. Vahl also has a long ocean coastline and stretches into a desert in its northeast.
Politically, Vahl has its own president, who generally acts more like a chief of staff to the real seat of power in Vahlan politics: the secretary general of the Vahl Coalition. Vahl, of course, is the political lead of the Vahl Coalition, and also wields major influence over the Coalition’s allies. The secretary general is at the head of this organization. Who or what sits above the secretary general, however, is an open question.
Vahl benefits from a robust and healthy economy, with some of the most powerful and influential companies on Samsara headquartered in the country. These companies cover a broad spectrum of industries, from tech to manufacturing, but Vahl's economy doesn't specialize in any particular industry.
Military and Diplomacy
Vahl's military is the strongest on the planet. Period. Full stop. Its power is recognized by every nation in Vahl and the mere thought of war with Vahl, since the Triton Wars, is unthinkable. It has more tanks than the next five countries combined and takes full advantage of its large population, and second only to Savaria, it has the most soldiers in its military. It also uses technologies that are not realistic for most other countries on Samsara simply because its economy is so strong and it can afford to make the investment.
Unsurprisingly, Vahl also has more diplomatic power than any other country. Some would argue it is second to Se Lance in this regard, but no one can deny that, if not Vahl the nation, then the diplomatic power of the Vahl Coalition is unmatched. In the southwest especially, everyone knows, Vahl is king.
Wildlife
In the Old World, Vahl developed its society and infrastructure so thoroughly that it didn't save much room for plants and animals. The landscape in Vahl had always been mostly grasslands, and home to few animals, but the Vahlans on Samsara made it official.
A few species of birds, rodents, and small mammals have been too intractable to completely extirpate and there aren't enough of them to galvanize an effort to take action. The plant life, too, is pretty plain. Grasses, trees, bushes, etc. can all be found in Vahl, but only in city parks or preserved areas for such grassland foliage to grow.
History
Vahl is a relatively young civilization, having been founded just after the end of Cosmic War Two. After the war had completely ravaged the civilizations of the universe, there were few, if any, modern places left unaffected. In the wake of the destruction, the founders of Vahl had an opportunity to build a new civilization which wouldn't be suppressed by the economic vitality of competitors as it grew.
The founders, a group of elite Enochians, traveled through MSC ports to find an uncluttered and uninhabited galaxy to build their new empire. And while the rest of the civilizations of the universe were rebuilding their societies, economies, and militaries, Vahl faced few external threats as it rose to prominence.
After roughly one thousand years, Vahl completely dominated its galaxy and forbid other civilizations from settling there, although it did maintain loose alliances with the nations that would one day become part of the Vahl Coalition. Had so many MSC ports not been destroyed in the Great Cosmic Wars, Vahl probably wouldn’t have been able to protect its galaxy from other colonists; there were plenty of places to settle. But after CWII, the universe seemed to get a lot smaller.
As a result, Vahl found itself at war a number of times before the Great Collapse began, but it was able to defend its territory. Of course, once the Great Collapse happened, none of that mattered anymore. But Vahl's ambitions of power seemed to survive the end of the universe.
Nunonite Civilizations
The Nunonites are a diverse group of human civilizations with mysterious origins but a clear genetic link between the many different Nunonite peoples. Most of them emerge from the now-destroyed Western Kingdom—an intergalactic empire which once maintained stability in the known universe but fell sometime after Cosmic War Two. The Nunonite civilizations are Bamboda, Berleklia, Corona, Corr, The Fallen Kingdom, Fervus, The Forlands, Manugua, Optron, Saiph, Savaria, Se Lance, Selarius, Senecus, Serica, Syberscithe, Voleria.
Bamboda
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Bamboda was originally a country in the Old World civilization of Senecus before it went off to establish its own home world. Upon doing so, it developed its own unique character. Although it still shares a lot with Senecian culture, Bambodans are much darker in skin tone and more conservative in nature.
Good manners, a hard work ethic, and honesty in the face of adversity are the pillars of Bambodan conservatism, not to mention a back-straight and upright posture. They are family oriented and almost exclusively followers of the Justinian faith. Few on Samsara express less than their approbation of Bambodans or their society; Bambodans are generally a respectful and well-mannered people. Many foreigners find it difficult to live within Bamboda's borders, however, because of their somewhat stale social habits and limited entertainment options, but those who share Bamboda's conservative values find in Bamboda a true and accepting home.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
Bamboda enjoys a variety of different landscapes, including mountains, grasslands, plains, and forests—a firm foundation on which to build a country.
Its political foundations are just as firm. Bamboda is a democratic republic and has three main parties, two of which brandish different styles of Bambodan conservatism, and the third being slightly more open to changes.
The Bambodan economy is built around agriculture, small business, and the honest labor of its citizens. It exports furniture, wood products, some raw materials, and high-quality household items. It has also assumed the role of the breadbasket of the East. Its economy is reliable, strong, and consistent, although it doesn't have much room for innovation.
Military and Diplomacy
Bamboda maintains cordial relationships with its neighbors and it is a loyal member of the Eastern Alliance, even though its military is likely the weakest among Alliance partners.
The Bambodan military is strong enough to defend its borders, but it has not embraced much modern technology. Although many tanks and weapons date back to the Triton Wars, the Bambodans are tough and extremely brave. They don't have any enemies on their borders, and besides having to deal with the occasional warlord from the Fallout, so the strength of their soldiers comes from the heart of their soldiers and less from threats to their homeland.
Wildlife
Elk, elephants, bovine of all kinds, bears, buffalo, wolves, and scather cats are the most well-known of the Bambodan mammals. Smaller forest critters, as well, run about. But Bamboda is known for its big game, of which there is plenty. And which can grow very, very big.
Boreal forests, plains, and some moist evergreen forests cover the landscape. Bambodans have a deep respect for their wildlife, and although they are quite fond of their lumber and their economy depends on exporting it, the Bambodans are sure to replenish their forests just as quickly as they deplete them.
History
Bamboda was originally a country in the civilization of Senecus. After CWII, some of its residents founded an off-world colony, and soon enough, the colony spread across the planet and declared its independence from Senecus. Senecus didn't take issue with this divergence, as it rarely did when such situations sprang up. The universe was big enough for its people to spread, and Senecus learned from history how difficult managing a restive colony could be. Plus, Senecus was wise to have children which it knew would one day become allies.
Bamboda was not particularly close to an MSC port, so it was left mostly to itself for a few thousand years, during which time its culture changed very little. It was lucky not to be bothered by more the more aggressive civilizations in the galaxy in which it resided, such as Savaria, and in the peace from the absence of conflict, it probably could have developed or adopted much greater technology than it had. But the Bambodans were happy with their way of life and chose time and time again not to bite from the apple when they had the chance to.
Berleklia
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
"Berleklia, a place for families," so say the Berleklians. Perhaps this is true. But the Berleklian concept of a family may differ from that of, let's say, a Bambodan.
Berleklia is a modern country whose residents enjoy the conveniences of a modern lifestyle. Berleklia, because of the protection afforded to it by its alliance with the Vahl Coalition, survived the Triton Wars without sustaining much damage. Since those foreign wars, it has been open to migration from most countries in its region, and is therefore a relatively diverse society, although mostly comprised as Nunonites.
"Berleklian culture" is an interesting notion. Its culture is more of a set of practices directed towards convenience and entertainment than it is a set of practices grounded in values or beliefs. Berleklian adults regularly take turns hosting and attending dinner parties, and their children enjoy video games and sneaking to the computer room to look at dirty pictures. Berleklians go to work and school, they come home, and they go through their nightly motions. Rumor has it, and so do some sociological studies, that a slight majority of Berleklian spouses are engaged in at least one long-term affair. Aside from their affairs, Berleklian also enjoy the sport of soccem, a popular sport similar to rugby, and they love their national team: the Pandas.
Geography, Politics, and Economy
Berleklia, a relatively small country, sits just north of the Dark Leg of the West and south of the Yamalus mountains. Its natural features seem to reflect this bridge-like landscape between the level forests and the mountains. Much of the land within Berleklia, however, is well developed, and the forests that do exist within Berleklia's borders were mostly planned and are largely comprised of plant life from a host of other Western countries—not much native to the planet of Berleklia. But the Berleklians don't seem bothered.
The Berleklian economy is primarily service oriented. Its people consume a large percentage of global goods relative to its population and are generally upper-middle class. It’s not exactly clear where exactly Berleklian wealth comes from, but it is at least speculated that dark Berleklian money is used to fund illegal mining operations in destitute countries.
On the surface, Berleklia has a strong and functioning multi-party democracy. Under the surface, the country is run by dark politics, heavily influenced by the nation's intelligence agencies, which, of course, have strong ties to Vahl. The fanciful political parties at the helm of the nation at any given point tend not to diverge from the preceding majority party, despite their capricious promises and professions.
Military and Diplomacy
Berleklia itself only wields a nominal military force. The nation is somewhat of a little cousin of the Vahl Coalition and enjoys hiding behind the Coalition's massive shield. Berleklia's contribution to this geopolitical alliance is intel. Berleklia is, somewhat paradoxically, well known for its clandestine activities.
Of all of the nations of Samsara, Berleklia has somehow mastered the art of sabotage, subterfuge, and spying. It provides intel to the Vahl Coalition in exchange for its protection and it has little motivation to engage in global politics beyond this relationship.
Wildlife
Wildlife... besides the deciduous plants, there's not much of it in Berleklia. The Berleklians became so obsessed with convenience and entertainment they seemed to have destroyed most of the wildlife. But many native Samsaran plant species have found a way to stick around.
History
Berleklia is a more recent "breakaway" civilization of the Western Kingdom, but not purely so. The planet of Berleklia was terraformed and populated only a few thousand years before Year Zero on Samsara, long after the disintegration of the Western Kingdom. The planet quickly became a home to Nunonites seeking off-planet living. Although the people of Berleklia migrated mainly from breakaway civilizations of the Western Kingdom, Berleklia itself started, more or less, as a land of misfits from these breakaways rather than a breakaway itself.
In the Old World, Berleklia never developed a strong military. It relied heavily on its clandestine services and information trading, as it does on Samsara. Perhaps the need to perfect this survival technique which sheltered Berleklia from conflict in the Old World is why its intelligence agencies are so effective today, in Year 738—the underground culture living in the halls of its intelligence agencies has been developed for almost two thousand years, and the secrets to their success are kept just as private as the identity of their agents.
Corona
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
The people of Corona—the famous engineers and manufacturers, who were themselves, to some degree, engineered and manufactured.
No one really gets Corona. Its demographic structure might be as diverse as the people of Samsara as a whole, with nearly as many micro-factions and breakaway subcultures. The Coronans are considered Nunonites, and certainly emerge from the Nunonite lineage, but throughout Corona's history, they've engineered and re-engineered their DNA so many times and in so many directions that they've created hundreds of their own distinct ethnicities. Perhaps more. White, black, blueish, greenish, tall, short, long arms, four arms, four toes, powerful nose... Corona has been quite liberal with its genetic experimentation.
It began with the nation's manufacturing focus—its national pride. Philosophically averse to robotics, the country began conducting minor genetic experiments to promote certain phenotypes particularly fit for certain duties. This experimentation grew audacious overtime until, fast forward a few thousand years, parents would often build-a-baby in the lab instead of letting nature take its course. On Samsara, this trend has reversed, but the genetic diversity has not. What has changed, though, is that now nature is the primary source of the genetic diversity—most races in Corona can interbreed, spawning new and interesting characteristics.
The Coronan education system generally produces two classes of Coronans: workers and engineers. Its people casually acknowledge the existence of God but don't profess allegiance to any religion.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
The geographical features of Corona are as diverse as its people, naturally presenting mountains, lakes, grasslands, forests, and deltas to the Coronan people. Before migrating to Samsara, Corona decided not to do any terraforming at all, so all of the structural landscape is as it was prior to the Great Collapse.
The economy is built around its famously capable manufacturing industry. From high-tech electronics, to tanks and automobiles, to children's toys, Corona is one of the largest manufacturing hubs in the West, and in the world, competing only with Krungtao and Savaria. Without Krungtao's comparative advantage in abundant cheap labor or Savaria's penchant for heavy, robotic machinery, Corona relies on the genetic diversity of its people. Many races have strong proclivities for very specialized job duties and perform them so well that even the best robots can't compete.
Corona's political system, as well, is built atop its manufacturing capacity. It is a pseudo-communist society, where the working class—which is most everyone—owns the means of production and run the society (or at least in theory). The egalitarian goals of their system, however, seems to come at the expense of creativity and innovation, outside of the field of genetics of course. Very few products or machines are thought up in Corona. But when clever individuals from other countries have an idea for an invention, they often come to Corona to draw up the blueprints and mass produce it.
Military and Diplomacy
Corona takes solace in the assurance of safety that its membership in the Vahl Coalition provides. Corona's contribution to the Coalition is its manufacturing industry—Coalition nations say what they want made, and the Coronans make it—expeditiously and with incredible quality. Corona produces most of the Coalition's military hardware, aside from some of the more bulky equipment it buys from the Savarians.
Corona follows the diplomatic path of the other nations of the Vahl Coalition: do what Vahl says. Of the nations of the Coalition, however, its international relations are the most cordial. This is probably because other nations, especially in the West, rely so heavily on Coronan manufacturing.
Most of the Coronan people don’t actually strongly support Corona’s membership in the Vahl Coalition, but they don’t condemn it either. It is because of Vahl’s tight grip on the leaders of Corona that it is part of and plays such a crucial role in the Vahl Coalition.
Wildlife
Although Corona chose not to terraform its territory, it did import its plant and animal species from its home planet. Coronan genetic experimentation didn't begin or end with human DNA—Corona hosts the broadest spectrum of species in any country. Biologists have, for the most part, stopped trying to classify Coronan plant and animal species because they just keep changing.
Coronan is well known for its colorful flora. Literally colorful. Much of the natural landscape, as well as the majority of plant life in most parts of Corona, is native to Samsara, but in the regions highly populated by Coronan plant species, it’s not uncommon to get a migraine from the vibrant hues of its plant life.
Its animal life is just as varied. Some version of almost any type of animal can be found somewhere in Corona, and they don't need large populations to sustain themselves. Because many different species were often created by the same group or groups of geneticists using slivers of copy-and-pasted genetic codes, many completely different species can interbreed, giving rise to new and interesting life. Neighboring countries seem to fear an explosion of a strange or dangerous Coronan plants of animals and take great measures to monitor their borders. It is even rumored that the jeejeeras of Fervus were originated in Corona and were incidentally released on the planet of Fervus before it was colonized by humans.
History
Corona's beginnings are unclear, but it appears the civilization predates Cosmic Wars One and Two and existed during the Kingdom's Peace. Its genetic experimentation is only somewhat of a relatively recent development, however, beginning at some point in the last ten thousand years or so. Prior to this, it was a manufacturing nation that never left its home planet of Corona, but they did trade with the cosmic community. Only once Corona began manipulating human and non-human genetics did it create the manufacturing capacity and subsequent wealth to dabble in planetary colonization. It is not clear who colonized Corona in the first place, but it is clear that whoever it was, was part of the Nunonite lineage.
Corr
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
The people of Corr, called "the Corr," have struggled to make Samsara their home. They are extremely pale, about a foot shorter than the average Nunonite, and have fragile builds.
In the Old World, they were an exclusively space-faring civilization. They lived in giant, cylindrical space stations which used centripetal force to emulate the gravity of life-nurturing planets, and they spanned an entire galaxy. Their civilization eventually rose to house numbers as large as many planet-dwelling civilizations.
Corran culture is a reflection of the lifestyle of its people, as many cultures are. In the Old World, much of their attention was focused on sustaining the rich plant life in their space stations: many species, novel and old, of fruit trees, vegetables, and mushrooms. On Samsara, it is much the same. The class of occupations concerned with ship maintenance and surviving the harshness of space, however, has virtually disappeared on Samsara. Many of the Corr, therefore, have become expert botanists, helping civilizations all over Samsara preserve their species and thwart the monoculture or invasive species from other lands. The Corr tend to be non-religious, but some have adopted Easo Eossanism.
There is a sadness to the Corr. They do love their plants, and this love is true. But first love, of space and space things, soaring through nothingness into the unknown, the morning view of suns and moons and stars, the subtle anxiety and excitement when gliding through an asteroid belt, all of which had for so long been deeply inculcated into the lives, literature, art, and even DNA of their people, is like a love for a lover lost—a yearning to be, once more, in the arms of a person with whom you've shared your life, but knowing this person is dead, and is never coming back. This is the source of their sadness.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
Corr's fertile lands are full of hills and estuaries. It borders the Eo-ean Mountains to its west, the Ketian Lake to its East, the Namaka Sea to its south, and Optron to its north; Corr has some prime real estate on Samsara, probably the Elosahr Naalor's attempt to make up for the Corr's unsatisfied penchant for outer space.
Corr exports some of its crops internationally but its most significant interaction with the global economy is via its botany consulting. Civilizations across Samsara regularly struggle with invasive species from foreign worlds. The Corr seem to be able to find solutions. And second to only the Coronans, their knowledge in genetic engineering provides them with a great monetizable skill. They've also had great success in generating and storing energy from plant sources.
Military and Diplomacy
On Samsara, Corr's military is small but extremely technologically advanced; it was once known for space technology rivaled only by Serica. Corr has very few tanks and soldiers compared to most civilizations of its size, but what it lacks in manpower it makes up for with its powerful Aether Cannon System, or ACS. The ACS is an army of "satellites" that roam Corr's borders just under the forcefield. They're not true satellites, but they are light enough to maintain their "orbits" without succumbing to Samsara's gravity, while still possessing incredible power to shoot down massive beams of energy at unfriendly forces. The ACS is literally a system of lasers in the sky, fastidiously monitoring the space below for threats. Corr has never been successfully invaded, and seldom has any serious force tried.
Outside of trading few goods and services in the global economy, Corr stays out of the world's business; the Corr prefer to be isolated, just as they once were. They don't bother anyone, and others tend not to bother them. And they want to keep it that way.
Wildlife
In the north of its lands, much of the bountiful wildlife is native to Samsara, including both plants and animals, and much of this territory remains mostly unexplored, as the Corr have not found much difficulty living in close quarters in the southern half of the country, and the size of the population tends to remain constant. In the southern half of the country, however, the land is overflowing with Corr's native plants. These plants were engineered or cultivated, or both, for their highly regulated spaceship or space-station environments, but on Samsara they've adapted well.
The plants tend to be more shrub-like than treelike, and there are countless varieties, both domesticated and wild. The Corr have also cultivated many species of fungus which they grow for food and for building materials. Some species of mushroom have proven to be better for building everything from homes to automobiles than even the most advanced, synthetic materials. A few native Samsaran mushroom species have crept over from over the Eo-ean mountains, but the Corr tend not to tinker with them.
History
The Corr was once a strong ally of the Western Kingdom but doesn't seem to have come from the Kingdom—it’s not a breakaway civilization. In fact, it seems to have been around during and before The Kingdom's Peace, but this is only scholarly inference, since such history was lost in Cosmic Wars One and Two. The Corr are said to have fought with the Western Kingdom during these wars, but after CWII and the fall of the Kingdom, Corr began a more solitary path.
Corr has been silently sailing through space for as long as history can tell. The Corr have no home planet that they remember and have never sought one. No one knows where the Corr came from, but they appear to have descended from the Nunonites. So says their DNA, at least.
Because of the Meta-Space Channel Ports, the Corr have never had to develop faster-than-light travel, or any other way to get from galaxy to galaxy. The Corr used to enjoy drifting around the galaxies, in which intelligent life was known to live, at speeds just great enough to avoid most obstacles.
The Fallen Kingdom
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
"The Fallen Kingdom. What more can be said of it that says more than this?"
The people of the Fallen Kingdom (sometimes called "The Kingdom") are, like Senecians, a cross-section of the Nunonites. No Nunonite people, besides the Fervans, are unrepresented among its populace, and the same can be said of its cultures. But most of its people do maintain some connection to the Western Kingdom, connections sometimes thousands of years old.
Through lineage, through culture, through the shared memories of families that have passed through the ages—something holds the people of the Fallen Kingdom together enough that, beneath the many ethnicities and values floating in the air, exists a ground floor sturdy enough to connect them to their past. An unspoken and perhaps indescribable wistfulness, though never on the edge of one's lips or in the front of one's thoughts, breathes with long and quiet breaths a deep and draining knowing into the subdued people of this slowly dying country.
Justinianism, as it was in the Old World, remains the Fallen Kingdom's most prominent faith, but the Kingdom people are tolerant and accepting of other religions. The Kingdom’s people enjoy the conveniences of modern life and its youth often identify with the culture of Senecus more than their own. But somehow, as they age and experience their world, and learn their history, the quiet sadness catches them too, and they, as well, become more like their parents than the modern Senecians with whom they once felt aligned.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
The lands of the Fallen Kingdom boast august and halcyon autumn views of mountains, plains, and forests of many kinds. The Western Kingdom once spanned over hundreds of planets, moons, and space stations, and so the geographical features of its territory were developed to reflect this diversity, even when the Kingdom crumbled. After the Kingdom fell, its diversity was preserved on its few remaining planets. The geography of the Fallen Kingdom on Samsara, as well, reflects the preservation of the geographical diversity of the Kingdom itself.
On Samsara, the Fallen Kingdom's economy is somewhat depressed and over the centuries has moved from a value-added orientation to a focus on raw materials. Its people are mostly working-class folk who spend their days excavating rare-earth minerals, felling lumber, or quarrying stone. The nation trades its raw materials with regional partners and often draws the short straw in its negotiations.
The Fallen Kingdom's political structure maintains the structural frame of its former glory, even though time has shaken off the glory and abundance once attached to its name. The Kingdom has a King, who is on paper a true monarch, but he, like in the Old World, has a close group of democratically elected advisors that he defers to on most decisions, and considers in all decisions. The King's papal-like presence is a shadow of the past, but he still maintains the Kingdom's traditions as best he can. The King's lineage is said to stretch back to the establishment of the Western Kingdom, and is selected by primogeniture. The Kingdom may also be ruled by a Queen, when a daughter is the first-born child of the royal family.
Military and Diplomacy
The Fallen Kingdom's military can hardly be called a regional force. Most of the limited might the nation wields comes from the compassion of its children nations, relying heavily on the soft power of its legacy. Furthermore, its neighbors are generally friendly, and when the Drrundornavordans do feel combative, they have little interest in venturing too far from their rugged mountains and usually end up skirmishing with each other instead.
The Kingdom's hard-power military force has much to be desired, though it does maintain a formidable ground force of semi-adequately armed soldiers and second-generation tanks. One major advantage for the Kingdom, however, is the large pool of gruff, gritty, and near-combat-ready population from which it can conscript an army. Another hidden advantage is that although its people have been deflated by thousands of years of history, an earnest patriotism lives deep in their bones which, when necessity calls for it, awakens with fury.
Wildlife
The Kingdom boasts bucolic views of stretching plains and warm montane forests, with boreal and deciduous forests in the east and west, respectively. Its animals are also representative of these habitats: bears, wolves, deer, rodents, insects, moose, otters, foxes, rabbits, and other small and large forest mammals. Among each species there are countless variations, most of which can interbreed. The Western Kingdom, long ago, was home to forest and plain animals of innumerable varieties, many which are still represented in the Fallen Kingdom and can still interbreed with members of the same species.
The animals in the Kingdom are as numerous as they are varied, and the people of the Kingdom have a deep respect for their wildlife, doing their best not to disturb the natural world during the collection of raw materials, or at least to restore affected lands. The people of the Kingdom also prefer to avoid urban settings, and enjoy the integration of their neighborhoods with forests, so most of the country is at least partially wooded, when not a natural plain. Samsara seemed to appreciate the Kingdom's wildlife, and when the planet was being terraformed, the Kingdom's plants and animals were quickly adopted by Samsara’s native ecosystem, and even stretched north into Senecus.
History
The Fallen Kingdom may be the oldest surviving country of the universe, although there is much debate over whether other lineages or ethnicities are more closely related to the pure Nunonite ancestors that preceded the Western Kingdom. There is further debate over whether the Nunonites, the Vella'i, or some other ethnicity came first. It is also unclear if Vella'i, the Nunonites, and other humanoid beings evolved from one human ancestor and spread throughout the universe, then evolved their differences, or whether humanoid species evolved independently, as a result of convergent evolution, in different parts of the universe, and then encountered one another.
The true origins of humanity in the universe are disputed and unclear. Unfortunately, Cosmic Wars I and II so ravaged the Old World that the answers may be gone forever, unless the Tritons desire to share them. The history of the Western Kingdom is intimately connected with this unknown history, so unfortunately much of the history of the Western Kingdom remains unknown as well.
But here are some things that the few who remember them have cautiously revealed.
The calendar of the Old World, called the Kingdom's calendar, begins roughly 24,000 years before Year Zero on Samsara. In Year Zero in the Old World, the Western Kingdom spanned across twelve planets and eventually grew to seed life on and to govern even more. At some point thereafter came a period of over roughly five thousand years known as "The Kingdom's Peace," a relatively conflict-free period among the civilizations of the known universe, made possible through the Western Kingdom's benign strength. What preceded Year Zero and the Kingdom's peace is mere myth and legend.
After some years, the Western Peace was broken by the onset of Cosmic War One. Little is known about this war. It is said that a group of civilizations taking refuge in the outskirts of the known universe joined forces and initiated a series of attacks on the Kingdom, resulting in a multi-century-long war. After some period of time, the Kingdom successfully destroyed the "Dark Armies" of CWI and brought the known universe back to some level of relative stability.
The stability was short lived, and once more the universe descended into chaos in an event known as the Kayama. Following the Kayama, Cosmic War Two consumed the known universe. A force known as the Entente of Exiles, formed by the survivors of the Dark Armies of CWI, unleashed terror on the universe, crumbling once mighty civilizations and setting cosmic progress back millennia. Toward the end of CWII, the Western Kingdom rallied all the strength it could muster from its old Nunonite, Vella'i, Shimei, Hyrtulrean, Heesian, and Nrinian allies, as well as allies from a broad spectrum of minor, non-human species desperate to turn back to the days of the Western Kingdom's rule. In the Western Kingdom and its allies' last stand, they defeated the Entente of Exiles, banishing any survivors to the far reaches of space, and bringing some semblance of stability back to the universe once more.
But during this great war, the Western Kingdom was torn apart. Its supply chains were broken, its infrastructure destroyed, and its economy left in tatters. Almost as soon as the war ended, the Western Kingdom began to deteriorate, breaking off into smaller factions which eventually grew to become their own nations.
A nation known as the Western Kingdom, eventually just called "The Kingdom," and referred to by some as, "The Fallen Kingdom," persisted. But it was small. Only a planet and a few colonies on moons and barely habitable worlds. Time wore it down until it became the depressed nation it was when its people migrated to Samsara. And on Samsara, they remain, a vestige of the old Western Kingdom.
Few on Samsara have heard much of this history and many who've heard don't take it as much more than a groups of legends. It may well be. Not much knowledge survived the cosmic wars and only little more survived the Great Collapse. But the history of the Western Kingdom lives somewhere in the spirit of its people, in the land of the Fallen Kingdom itself, and in the hearts of all of the Nunonite people.
Fervus
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Fervans are undisputedly the fiercest warriors of the Nunonites, and at the core of every component of their society is their drive to maintain the most resilient soldiers on the planet. Fervans are slightly shorter than the average Nunonite and surprisingly skinny, often exhibiting statures closer to a Shimei than a Nunonite. But their size is no hindrance on their strength. Perhaps as a result of the harsh gravity of their tropical home planet, or perhaps from the many thousands of years of battling the vicious jungle wildlife, the Fervans are built tough. Their muscle fibers are more efficient than those of most human species and their bones are denser and heal extremely quickly when broken. Even the genetically manipulated warriors of the Old World couldn't compete with the naturally derived anatomy and somatic structure of the Fervans.
The most prolific source of Fervan ferocity, however, is its culture. In Fervus, every Fervan male begins rigorous military training by age seven. Only seventy percent survive the training, and less than one tenth of one percent are admitted to the Special Forces. The women and ethnically non-Fervan “tribal” civilizations living on the outskirts of Fervus’ borders take on all the non-combat duties of the nation, such as construction work, engineering, childrearing, or building tanks.
Geography, Politics, and Economy
The Fervan landscape is hot, humid, and mountainous. The combination of higher heat intervals from the forcefield and its position between the Enochian Lake and the Varuna Ocean create a phenomenon which could only have been known by minds as powerful as the Tritons and the Elosahr Naalor. Fervus on Samsara is a true continuation of Fervus in the home world.
The Fervan economy is mostly isolated, but it does rely on neighboring nations for certain minerals it has found too costly to mine itself. The Fervans take pride in owning almost their entire chain of production, which may be less of a national accomplishment than it sounds; Fervans have little use for most consumer goods. They produce military equipment and the bare essentials for semi-comfortable living. Little more.
Fervus does not suffer from political sass and divide. There is no dissent. There are no nuances. The military runs Fervus and Fervus is its military. Chain of command is paramount and at its head is a large group of military leaders who make decisions for the country, which tend be predictable. Little is known about what happens in these meetings with Fervan leaders, but it is well-accepted that their system does what it is supposed to, even if others disagree with their ends.
Military and Diplomacy
Fervus, although its population is relatively small, wields one of the strongest militaries in its region. Fervus wastes no time training soldiers to learn the metaphysical arts, and its ground soldiers prefer to forgo more advanced weapons. They usually use guns and knives and don camouflage to blend into their home environment and supplement their jungle-garrison tactics.
Its soldiers endure some of the most punishing training any military has ever seen, and when not skirmishing in the Fallout or pushing back against incursions from Scilor Ayl, they are plagued by their endless war with the jeejeeras, a local carnivore. The experience they gain from these adventures allay any fears they could have of international foes. Its military is seldom tested against national armies, however, as Fervans prefer diplomatic isolation. Their greatest concern with the outside world might be proving that they're tougher than the Drrundornavordans.
The Fervan military is also known for its meticulous and prolific data collection. Its servers, rumor has it, store secrets dating far back into the Old World, secrets so worth preserving that their military leaders see preserving them as one of the most critical national security priorities. They hide their servers deep in the mountains, so deep that one could only get near them by either outright invading the country or by getting permission to enter from the Fervans themselves.
Wildlife
The Old World jungle nightmare in which Fervus’ animal species evolved gave rise to what could only be described as monsters. The most abundant of them are the jeejeeras, and the Fervans have managed to keep them at bay—for the most part. But even the jeejeeras fear rare encounters with the eesas and tanguwats, much larger and more aggressive but somewhat similar in build.
The herbivores of the Fervan jungle have well acclimated to their unforgiving home world. Biologists believe that they've evolved from jungle herbivores typical of most Nunonite-occupied planets and must have been brought to Fervus when the planet was populated long ago. But these herbivores are beasts in their own right, generally large, cantankerous, and equipped with long, dangerous claws.
The flora on Fervus, on Samsara as it was in the Old World, is quite typical of many jungle environments. Its lands are replete with robust, green, lush trees, ferns, stalky grasses, and carnivorous flowers. To the surprise and confusion of many entomologists, few insects reside there. This is likely a result of the effectiveness of Fervan carnivorous plants, for they tend to cluster in greater numbers near Fervus' borders.
History
Like many civilizations on Samsara, little is clear on how and when Fervus was founded. Historians tend to agree that it was formed sometime before the Western Peace, but after the formation of the Western Kingdom. Perhaps only the Fervans themselves have the records hidden in their troves of secret data.
What does seem to be the case, however, is that Fervus is not a breakaway civilization of the Western Kingdom, and that it felt few ripples from the Kingdom's fall. Fervus appears to, therefore, find its roots directly in the Nunonite lineage, though its unknown how close Fervans are to their parent people.
In the Old World, Fervus' space-faring technologies were limited but fair. Few took interest in their monster-infested, jungle planet and its resources, so the Fervans were left to themselves. When they occasionally, very occasionally, joined the Western Kingdom or other Nunonite civilizations in their battles, the Fervans were a formidable force, despite only adding to ground support. Their fighting style has been consistent throughout history.
Fervus was able to transport itself to Samsara without help from Serica or other civilizations with more advanced space-faring technology, likely in an effort to protect its data from outsiders. But however it was done, it was done well; Fervan life on Samsara is much like it was on its home planet thousands of years earlier, jeejeeras and all. Rumor has it that the military leaders of Fervus brought over the jeejeeras on purpose, even though they were known to kill so many Fervans, because they kept the Fervans tough and on their toes.
The Forlands
Ethnicity, Demographics, and Culture
Forlanders are generally calm, anodyne, and modest people. On average, they don't hold grudges and prefer to back down when faced with confrontation. Some foreigners living in the Forlands have learned to take advantage of this penchant for harmony, but somehow things tend to iron themselves out—they usually get bored and move out of the Forlands. It's not exactly an exciting place.
Forlanders resemble most Nunonites and usually have white skin and average builds, perhaps a bit on the smaller side. Their traditional cultural events generally evolved around meals—often nuts and fruits, of which their flora provides in abundance—but modern, Samsaran activities like going out to drink and playing sports have grown more popular since the Forlands was established on Samsara. Yet at the end of the day, most Forlanders still prefer an uneventful, pleasant, and casual lifestyle centered around food and family.
Geography, Politics, and Economy
Forlanders are a riparian people, and so, their land is one of rivers, streams, and forests. With mountains to the East and Savaria to the West, the Forlands clearly knows where to look for threats.
The Forlands is a democracy, and it’s small enough to actually function. Its people are modest and not too difficult to govern, and the "always content as things are” nature of Forlanders seems to be present in its politicians as well, quelling the ambitions for power that so often disrupt democracies.
Agriculture and small businesses hold the Forlands' economy together. Forlanders trade goods and services on a local scale, and Forlanders export their excess grains throughout the East.
Military and Diplomacy
The Forlands' military force is meager at best. With less than one hundred tanks and a few dozen military aircraft, it maintains the bare minimum to prevent a hostile takeover from a warlord audacious enough to venture that far from the Fallout. In fact, a few warlords would likely be able to overwhelm Forlander forces if they were so motivated.
The Forlands' strength, if one could call it that, is derived from its innocuous regional presence and its fair and casual relations with its neighbors, and with its fellow Nunonite civilizations. Aggressor nations assume that at least a few Nunonite nations would come to the Forlands' aid if under attack, plus, there isn't much going on in the Forlands' worth testing the hypothesis.
The Savarians seem to be the only regional power with an interest in the territory. Their proximity, paired with Savaria's apparent yearning for acquiring more arable lands, have made the Forlands a favorite for Savarian war games and incursions—actions which the small Forlander defense force usually does nothing about.
Wildlife
The Forlanders enjoy landscapes familiar to their home planet in the Old World. They transported many of their own shrubs and trees, but much of the Forlands’ plant life is native to Samsara. They were fortunate to settle in a quiet, calm region of native Samsara where there were few predators or carnivorous plant species. So, the many squirrels, hares, Cervidae, and bird species that came over from the Forlands' home world usually get along just fine—unless they venture too deep into the forests.
History
They say the Forlanders are so nice because on their home planet, they didn't have enough resources to warrant the attention of more hostile powers, but enough that no Forlander had to endure privation. Their penchant for agriculture always made it so that there was enough food to go around, and the bucolic feel to the planet instilled a peace in the populace that kept them content with how things were.
The Forlands was, however, invaded in both Great Cosmic Wars, but not for its resources. Passing ships just needed food, and so they came to steal it. But the Forlanders bounced back.
When the Forlanders learned of the Great Collapse, and then Samsara, Senecus helped transport the civilization to the Creation Project, where the Forlanders quickly grew content with their new home.
Manugua
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
These island people are diverse in their Nunonite ethnicities—Manugua was once a common destination for people looking to escape the grind of the Nunonite work ethic. As a result, the Manuguans are quite carefree and their culture is focused more on leisure than work.
There are some non-Manuguans living in Manugua, especially the, often strange, people of the South. But it’s not uncommon to find vacationers there too. The drug culture in Manugua is pretty apparent, even to visitors, and the lightheartedness towards life due either to the drugs or the culture, or a mixture of both, seems to engender among the population a sense of lethargic comradery.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
Manugua is a tropical nation spread across a group of large landmasses and many smaller islands. To its north is the Namaka sea, fed warm water via the Kai Current.
Manugua exports a plant much like sugar cane, called sugar stalks. The drug trade, both legal and illegal, is also a primary economic driver in the country. And for the white-collar class, Manugua is known for its insurance industry.
Manugua is a political mess. It's sinsemilla-smoking political leaders don't seem to really know what's going on with their democracy, and they tend to be quite reactive. The forces that tug on Manuguan politicians are the leaders of the insurance industry, the cartels of the South, the leaders of the Fallen Kingdom, the sugar stalk producers, and of course, the population's desire that the politicians "just chill out."
Military and Diplomacy
The Fallen Kingdom protects Manugua from the other nations of the world, as it does not have much of its own military. But the Fallen Kingdom plays little role in protecting Manugua from the vicissitudes of the South—the Manuguans seem to have this covered. The cartels in the South have significant investments in Manuguan stability.
The Manuguans have, however, been experiencing recent attacks in its northern islands, and they have called upon the Fallen Kingdom for aid. To no one’s surprise, the Fallen Kingdom has responded.
Wildlife
Manugua is rife with palm trees, many species of ginseng and ginger, colorful flowerbeds, sage, and high, healthy grasses. Of course, plenty of sinsemilla as well, both farmed and wild.
The animal species are just as colorful, especially the countless species of birds. But the crabs, fish, and other sea creatures the Manuguans brought over share this rainbow of colors as well, and they populated the Namaka Sea.
History
Manugua was once part of the Western Kingdom, but it broke off after Cosmic War Two. There were no hard feelings between them, simply an inability to maintain the traditional space travel to sustain the necessary relationship between Tondaline, the capital planet of the Western Kingdom, and Manugua.
After Manugua broke off, its development seemed to hit a wall. Once it rebuilt some basic infrastructure, the "it's all good!" culture of many Manuguans, without the influence of the Western Kingdom's gravity, permeated throughout the population and became the norm.
Optron
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Optronian society is extremely similar to Senecian society, and its people are, likewise, similar. In fact, Optron amicably broke off from Senecus only during the scramble created by the Great Collapse. The average Nunonite build and diversity of Nunonite races among the Senecians is present in Optron as well. Both societies are cross-sections of Nunonite society.
Optronians, on the other hand, are a more focused people than the Senecians—less interested in sports and outdoors activities and more interested in gaming of many kinds. They're particularly technical and task oriented.
Geography, Politics, and Economy
Optron sits in the center of the three Opus Lakes and south of the Volerian desert. In its west, a massive swampland bisects Optron and the Fallout, providing a natural border between the two regions and preventing an otherwise dangerous situation for Optron.
Optron is a true democracy, or about as close to it as a human society can come. It has a bicameral legislature and a short but well-crafted constitution. It suffers from the many problems that come with democratic forms of government, but fares well for a civilization of its size. It is also an active member of the Eastern Alliance.
Optron’s most prolific industries are computing and electronics manufacturing. As Selarius provides computing and cloud services for the West, Optron does so for the East. These services also play a crucial role in the strength of the Eastern Alliance.
Military and Diplomacy
Optron's military strength is symbolized by its most famous structure: Valum Kal. This behemoth of a fortress is a castle built on top of and deep into a massive desert rock formation. This structure strategically separates the Optron from Savaria.
Optron does have a formidable force of traditional military units, such as tanks, soldiers, jets, and the like, but its strength is derived primarily from its technical prowess, and the rest of the Eastern Alliance provides most of the hard power. Optron, like the Senecians, shows great care for each individual soldier, providing expensive armor, weaponry, and training to each. These expenses are the reason Optron has never been a regional power, but the same expenses also provide it an edge in smaller conflicts.
Wildlife
The diversity of Optron's wildlife reflects the diversity of its citizens. In the swamps, alligators, snakes, and countless amphibians find their homes. As for plants, spruce, cypress, and flowing mosses cover the landscape. Occasionally, native Samsaran species will make their way through the bogs in the west and into the heart of Optron, but this is generally uncommon. The Optronian gator is one of the largest alligator species on the planet, and it doesn't mind the taste of native flesh.
In the north, the rockier regions of desert are home to the desert ibex and the Optronian condor, and in the south, squirrels, red wolf, deer, and wooly rhino live freely. The Optronians seem to get along well with their wildlife. They don't spend too much time outdoors, and so they don't have too many opportunities to interact.
History
In the Old World, Senecus was one of the few civilizations that found a way to rebuild itself out of the devastation of Cosmic War Two. It grew to become a space-faring civilization, and eventually developed an off-world colony on the planet of Optron. It terraformed the planet, and once the planet had its own atmosphere, Optron became self-sufficient.
Despite its self-sufficiency, Optron probably would have remained part of Senecus had the only MSC port connecting them not proven dangerous. The MSC port closest to Optron took a beating during CWII, and overtime began to glitch more and more frequently. Eventually, more than half of all the ships that went through it began mysteriously disappearing.
The Senecians, therefore, stopped sending ships through the MSC port. The planet of Optron was lightyears away, however, which made traditional space travel quite a burden. As a result, Senecus offered Optron its independence, which the people of Optron graciously but mournfully accepted. The two civilizations have been close allies ever since.
Saiph
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Saiph is a high-tech society whose citizens live in sleek, modern cities and have access to seamless public services and transportation. They look like the average Nunonite and reflect the diversity among the Nunonite people. But the DNA of some Saiphens have components that are not naturally Nunonite...
Pre-birth gene editing is commonplace among the Saiphen people, as is invitro fertilization. Parents can select for physical traits as well as mental acuities and psychological dispositions. The government of Saiph strictly monitors this process.
The people of the wealthy nation of Saiph enjoy the activities that many other wealthy Nunonites seem to like. But in addition to these, there is a large semi-underground drug culture in Saiph, particularly in the realm of Nootropics. The Saiphens don't have much patience for natural substances like psilocybin or sinsemilla, preferring manufactured chemical compounds designed for extremely specific interactions with the brain and body.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
Saiph has great ocean access and a strong navy, and it is therefore well protected against foreign threats. Its largest industry is the law, and its law firms are known for the relentless vigor with which they defend their clients, who are typically the uber-wealthy in Se Lance or Aqallabah, or are large corporations.
Saiph is a democracy whose president is a nominal figure and barely has power. The real power lies in the fifty senators of the Saiphen Senate, who each represent one of the fifty regions of Saiph. Most of these politicians are extensions of the strongest law firms from each region, and each of these law firms act in the interest of their clients. So in essence, the Saiphen Senate works for the richest people and the biggest corporations of the world. Somehow this does have a trickle-down effect on the average Saiphen, however, since so much money comes into the economy, and the attorneys themselves "do their best work in comfortable conditions."
Military and Diplomacy
Saiph has a powerful, high-tech military. Its leopard groups are among the most powerful special forces on Samsara, and its unique and often odd-looking ground vehicles and aircraft are extremely expensive, but equally as effective. Saiph is part of the Eastern Alliance, but its diplomatic propensities don't always closely line up with those of the Alliance—the Senate sometimes has a way of advocating for foreign interests.
Wildlife
The beaches of Saiph are known for their bountiful population of wild horses, but in the interior country, most of the plants and animals are those you might find in the plains, such as wolves, quadras, and bison, or the flora and fauna of the Saiphen deciduous forest.
History
Prior to the Great Cosmic Wars, Saiph was one of the Western Kingdom's space stations. When the station was destroyed in CWII, the survivors had no choice but to find a suitable planet. This soon became a distinct civilization of its own, but the Saiphens always kept close ties with the planet of Tondaline, and with the breakaway civilizations of Senecus and the Fallen Kingdom.
Savaria
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Censuses on Samsara are fuzzy, but Savaria seems to have the highest population among all the nations of Samsara. Its people are Nunonites, mostly white, but Savaria's population is a relatively diverse set of Nunonites. Few non-Nunonites live in Savaria.
Savaria is a developed nation—but developed is not exactly a well-defined term. Most Savarians live in big cities and have access to many modern conveniences such as air conditioning, personal means of transportation, access to the Global Data-Sharing Network, etc. But the cities themselves are not exactly… clean. And the technology available to the average citizen doesn't really rise too far above these conveniences; access to more advanced technologies for such a large population is not realistic or sustainable.
The Savarians don't have much interest in nature or wildlife, and in the Old World, they were known as the "planet pavers" because they would so frequently colonize planets bustling with natural life, and soon after, large swaths of the planet would be covered by pavement and sprawling cities. The Savarians are generally not religious.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
Although Savaria looks like a desert, it actually receives significant rainfall in some areas, and in others it would have large rivers, left to nature. But the Savarians quickly suck up all the water they can to feed their large population. To do this, they've developed a novel form of fungus, which actually has many properties of a plant—fungreens, so they call them, to satisfy the population's nourishment needs, and in massive underground skyscrapers, they grow these fungreens in the dark. This is quite a water-intensive process, hence the dry and desiccated landscape.
The Savarians fulfill their energy needs by purchasing rare minerals from the Aqallabahns and juicing them for energy in their power plants. This energy is also used to power Savaria's booming manufacturing industry, which comprises much of its economy.
Politically, Savaria is quite communistic in nature, run by a league of oligarchs who represent its main industries. Many of these oligarchs have voracious appetites for expansion of their industries, and to continue to grow Savaria's borders—an Old World ambition it never seemed to forget.
Military and Diplomacy
The Savarian military is one of the big three: the Vahl Coalition, Savaria, and the Eastern Alliance—in order of strength. Savaria's strategy leverages its high population, using many poorly trained grunts in its army, equipped with mass-produced models of machineguns. The Savarians are also known for their endless army of tanks. These are mainly T-44s, but it uses many other tanks too, as well as other combat vehicles. They all pretty much share the characteristic brutishness and low-tech mass-producibility that makes Savaria such a threat to the other nations in the region.
Savaria is friendly with the Vahl Coalition, to the point they could almost be called allies. This is probably, in part, why the Eastern Alliance formed in the first place—to balance global power. But the Savarians seem to hate the Eastern Alliance much more than the nations of the Vahl Coalition do, which is clear from the fact that Savaria and the Eastern Alliance are currently at war.
Wildlife
The Savarians have extirpated almost all wildlife within its borders, though they do occasionally get some brave animals venture in from neighboring nations. The Harafan boars have occasionally caused some problems in the eastern edge of the nation—especially when they get into the underground skyscrapers of fungreens.
History
Savaria was never part of the Western Kingdom, and before the Kingdom fell, Savaria was only a tiny, sparsely populated civilization on one continent of a distant planet. Sometime after the end of Cosmic War Two, however, from which Savaria was mostly isolated, the civilization hit a tipping point. It soon spread out across its entire planet, and then began colonizing new planets, earning it the title of "planet paver."
Savaria eventually found out that war was another way it could colonize new planets, and occasionally dabbled in the art form. But the Great Collapse was on the horizon, and the focus of the civilizations of the known universe quickly shifted.
On Samsara, Savaria seemed not to forget its colonist ambitions, and during the Triton Wars, it took advantage of this opportunity and took over Menecia. Later, it took over Harafa. It then set its sights on the Forlands, and the Eastern Alliance as a whole.
Se Lance
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
The Se Lancians are sometimes referred to as the Enochians of the Nunonites, but their elitist attitudes likely surpass even those even of Enoch. Se Lancians, also like the Enochians, generally do not bear children with other Nunonite peoples. This is not to say, however, that they do not interact; the Se Lancians host many Nunonite and other peoples within their borders, but typically for ninety-nine-year, non-citizen passes, and only to take the jobs and perform the duties Se Lancians consider below them. Many Basswan, Xashian, Shimean, Krungtai, and Menecian workers live within their lands.
Se Lancians are not particularly tall, strong, or appealing. They are somewhat of the physical average, or somewhere below it, of Nunonite societies. It is by means of their self-perceived social superiority that they derive their sense of self-worth, spending much of their time enveloping themselves and their homes in the fine arts of various forms. They have rejected religion and spend much of their energy in the pursuit and location of capital throughout the world which, as much as their attitudes naturally invite distaste, entice the obsequious gratifications of their business partners and diplomatic peers.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
Se Lance boasts breathtakingly beautiful grasslands, mountains, and forests. The pristine state of much of the land breathes life into its alpine feel. The Se Lancians prefer to live in concentrated, clean cities, so little of the territory's natural geography has been disturbed since the planet's migration to Samsara.
The Se Lancian economy is a global powerhouse, and it is the source of the nation’s strength. The nation is the heart of the global financial system, and the Se Lancian Lanc is its blood.
The Se Lancian financial machine and its political system are inextricably intertwined. The country has a nominal leader, but it’s well known that the banking elites, whoever they are, somewhere up in the mountains of Se Lance, are calling the ones calling the shots.
Military and Diplomacy
Se Lance has almost no military, although it does maintain an internal police force capable of quelling dissent among the migrant population. The Se Lancian Central Bank imperiously assumes any military or diplomatic roles the Se Lancian people require.
Larger countries with powerful militaries understand that if Se Lance were to fall, the global economy would fall with it. It is therefore in the interest of virtually every national leader to prop up the Se Lancian government and protect the nation from foreign invaders. Further, Se Lance, though not the largest, is by far the richest country on Samsara. Its capital is spent in almost every country on Samsara, and no country wants to risk closing off this important source of wealth.
Wildlife
During the migration to Samsara, the Se Lancians took great care to terraform its allotted land in a fashion that reduced as much hardship as possible to its precious plant and animal life, and they were indeed successful. In the Old World, the Se Lancians cared most about two things: money and environment—and they were great at both. On Samsara, it is much the same.
Strangely enough, few predators roam the Se Lancian wilderness. Its plant species have evolved to grow rapidly and germinate often, and its herbivores have evolved internal mechanisms to retard their breeding frequency when food is scarce, resulting in a truly peaceful and spectacular equilibrium. Most of Se Lance is undisturbed by the few but densely populated cities, opening endless swaths of lands for its deer, elk, and moose to roam free.
History
During the Western Kingdom's reign, Se Lance was a planet known for its financial services, once serving as the central trade center for the entire known universe. Its banking system moderated many digital transactions in the Western Kingdom, aside from, of course, those executed on blockchains or the inter-blockchain. This process was complicated because of the distance between planets and the impossibility of connecting planets by fiber optic cables. So Se Lance created and verified what were called “transaction tiers.”
Once the Western Kingdom collapsed, Se Lance established its own national charter and served the known world in a similar capacity ever since.
Somehow, Se Lance suffered little damage from Cosmic Wars One and Two. Some speculate its banking system was serving all sides of the wars, despite it being a bonified planet of the Western Kingdom. Some historians have even gone so far to suggest that it was Se Lance's duplicity that brought down the Western Kingdom to a greater degree than CWI and CWII combined. They say that, had Se Lance refused to invest in and secretly provide financial services to the Dark Armies and the Entente of Exiles, the Western Kingdom would have never shattered into the many separate civilizations it eventually became.
Selarius
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Selarians are similar in stature to most Nunonite peoples but their skin tones vary. They are a branch of Nunonites who descended directly from the Western Kingdom and have experienced little outside genetic influence since their breakaway. Most of the genetic diversity in Selarius is intra-diversity among a homogenous genetic pool.
Selarians might say the word culture is somewhat of a misnomer when applied to their set of practices and beliefs. Selarians tend to be extremely scientific in their approach to life's big questions, and even the little ones. Few of their daily activities are for the pursuit of pleasure or entertainment and most of the calories of energy spent, if you asked a Selarian, had a particular purpose. They're not the ones you'd go to for philosophical conversations, but they'd be the first to ask about a challenging math problem.
Selarians are generally atheists and tend to see things as black and white. They are notoriously unaffectionate, but not mean. They simply seem to feel emotions less strongly, or at least, express them quite differently than most Nunonites. But on Samsara, without space to explore, their incisive minds and laser focus seem to have no object. Many Selarians spend much of their days exercising on treadmills and rowing machines, ensuring optimal cardiovascular health.
Although Selarius is a member of the Vahl Coalition, Selarians themselves generally don't waste too much time worrying about international affairs. Vahl handles such things. The misfits who do concern themselves which such things often find themselves attracted to Selarius' dark underbelly: the world of hacking. Much to the dismay of mainstream Selarian society, these hackers tend to embrace Auroraicism.
Most Selarians never speak of the Selarian underworld of hacking and prefer to pretend it doesn't exist. Only a very small percentage of Selarians are involved in such activities, but have made enough of a splash that hacking gets baked into foreigners’ thoughts of Selarius and its people. Selarian hackers dress and act the part, but are rarely in public enough to be noticed.
Geography, Politics, and Economy
To most of Samsara, as it once was in the Old World, little is known about Selarius aside from its reputation in computing and the Selarian Great Plains. The Great Plains comprise more than half of Selarius' natural landscape and on Samsara are indistinguishable from the Old World, as the Selarians took great care to nurture their lands to let the majesty of the Great Plains live on. Aside from the plains, Selarius enjoys a hefty, bare mountain range and many small lakes throughout its lands.
The Selarian economy is driven by one, single industry: software. It imports most of the necessary hardware from neighboring countries, especially Serica, and like modern canvases, on this hardware the Selarians paint their software masterpieces. The sell their computer applications, cloud computing space and platforms, and security applications throughout the world. No country but Saiph has managed to produce software of a comparable quality.
Selarians are generally uninterested in politics, which is reflected in the nation's political machine. Technically the country is a constitutional democracy but in reality, it functions more like a vassal techno-state of the Vahlans. The people of Selarius are generally content with their lives and have their modern needs met, so there is little resistance to the political control Vahl exerts over the nation. So long as the Selarians keep going to work, everything seems to run smoothly.
Military and Diplomacy
Selarius' military power is a reflection of its industrial focus: software. As a member of the Vahl Coalition, it thrives under the protection of Vahl's tanks and soldiers, Serica's air force, and Corona's manufacturing capacity. But the four countries of the Vahl Coalition rely on Selarius for their military software needs. It also provides the coalition with a secret force of hackers. As for military and diplomatic decisions, Selarius follows Vahl's lead and stays loyal to the Coalition.
Selarius is also the host of the Apollus program, an initiative it began with Vahl while the two countries were populating their territories on Samsara with plants and animals. The Apollus program aims to prevent and combat the emergence of a hostile singularity at all costs. In other words, it seeks to thwart the emergence of a dangerous, artificially intelligent computer. Hangars and hangars of computer servers, hidden deep below the surface of in a secret location in the Great Plains, run night and day monitoring the Global Data-Sharing Network for General A.I. activity, and zapping whatever looks suspicious.
A.I., of course, is somewhat of a vague term. Specific A.I. exists in all sorts of applications on Samsara. What the Apollus Program is concerned with is an A.I. system that essentially "has a mind of its own," and has the power to influence change in the physical world in such a way that it is detrimental to the interests of the welfare of life on Samsara.
Wildlife
Selarius has everything one might expect to find in plains and more. Bison, foxes, rodents of all types, horses, chickens, wolves, and many species of deer can all be found in the Selarian Great Plains, and great numbers of each. Grasses splay over the landscape and many species of native Selarian bushes and small trees have made the Great Plains of Samsara their home.
Like in much of Samsara, natural life has thrived. The decimation of the Triton Wars across much of Samsara was somewhat of an invitation to for flora and fauna to flourish. Selarian cities are quite compact, like little islands in a sea of plains. Despite the high and growing Selarian population, the health of the Plains ecosystem persists.
History
Selarius is a true breakaway civilization of the Western Kingdom. Prior to Cosmic War One, the planet which would one day come to be called Selarius was already known for its computing prowess and its somewhat rakish experimentation with artificial intelligence, before the Western Kingdom reeled it in. During CWI, the Western Kingdom exploited these same propensities for military purposes.
After CWI was over and the known universe had entered a period of relative stability, the Selarians couldn't resist diving into their old research. Sometime during this period, A.I. broke free.
But it didn't matter. Cosmic War Two soon broke out, vacuuming up the attention of the civilizations of the universe. The A.I. machines that had escaped went off on their own, having little interaction with the rest of the universe's natural species.
After CWII came to a close, Selarius finally broke away from the Western Kingdom. Soon enough, it colonized planets under its own name and developed a distinct population. It seems the Selarians, though, had learned their A.I. lesson. Whatever happened between them and the A.I. they created, or whatever they learned from it, was enough to put them off. Their expertise in the computer sciences persisted through time, but culturally they grew wary of A.I. technology, and generally reserved as a people.
Senecus
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Senecus is perhaps the child of the Western Kingdom which most closely resembles its parent, without, of course, the military and cultural dominance that the Kingdom once enjoyed. Senecians are somewhat a cross-section of the Nunonite people. All races and cultures of Nunonites have a presence somewhere in Senecus, and roughly in numbers proportional to their populations on Samsara, and in the Old World.
Unlike the Fallen Kingdom, Senecus is quite modern, and somehow maintained much of its technology and infrastructure through the Triton Wars. Various Nunonite religions persist within the borders of Senecus as well, the most prominent of them being Justinianism. Various non-Nunonite peoples live within the borders of Senecus too, and the Senecians on Samsara are quite willing to accept immigrants, as they were in the Old World, since their nation was born of immigrants.
Geography, Politics, and Economy
The land in Senecus is mostly flat and hilly, with only few mountains. It also enjoys narrow access to the Varuna Ocean to the east, and the Great Senecian Lake to the west.
Senecus is a paragon example of a modern democracy in a large country. With a population quite high and with such broad spectrum of cultures within its borders, this democratic structure often creates problems. But the Senecians know democracy is the best of bad options, and their tricameral legislature, although often gridlocked, seems to function well enough. In fact, it often functions best during times of gridlock—the government can't get in the way of industry.
The Senecian economy is service-oriented, but takes pride in its exports of aeronautics and agriculture. The nation is well known for its transportation technology, and after the forcefield closed, it repurposed and modified many of its space-faring technologies for atmospheric air travel, including hypercrafts and many of the jets used by eastern militaries. The nation is also well known for its export of spices.
Military and Diplomacy
Senecus is a powerful regional force. It equips its soldiers well and uses the most advanced technologies on its vehicles and aircrafts that it can, so far as they are economically realistic. It has one of the most powerful air forces in the East, and its ground forces, although they are not nearly as plentiful as they could be given Senecus' population, draw great strength from superior strategy and training.
Although the Eastern Alliance is, for the most part, less a formalized coalition than it is a group of likeminded nations, Senecus seems to have assumed a leading role. Each Eastern Alliance country has a large representation in the Senecian population, and Senecus' military power awards it much respect. Its intelligence agencies are also quite respected, and the nation often covertly coordinated military efforts in the East.
Wildlife
Senecus has many species of trees and forest animals, but few predators. And its plant life is a little bit of everything—a cross section of Samsara, much like its human population. Notable are its giant sequoias, pink cello trees, and Chelton Evergreens. Its flower species are also quite numerous, many species being known for their medicinal properties. And as for its forest animals, it has more species of Cervidae than any other civilization, and it is home to some more peculiar species such as hoppers, kiaras, giant otters, and orapi.
History
Senecus was once part of the Western Kingdom, and after the end of Cosmic War Two, it broke off to become its own civilization with its own home planet. It had no qualms with the Fallen Kingdom—the heart of what remained of the Western Kingdom. But the MSC port connecting the two planets was destroyed in the war, and although they were close enough for traditional space travel to keep things going, each planet was just too devastated by the war for it to make sense to keep the two planets part of the same civilization.
Prior to CWII, Senecus was known for its space-faring capabilities. Most of its spacecraft had been destroyed in the war, however, and its space-faring abilities took a major hit. But it soon bounced back and became a space-faring people once more, rekindling a strong relationship with the Fallen Kingdom.
When the Great Collapse began, Senecus was active in trying to come up with a solution. But it failed. One-hundred and twenty-four years before the Collapse hit the forcefield around Samsara, though, when the known civilizations of the universe learned of the Creation Project, Senecus helped many of the less developed civilizations in the universe transport their people to their new homes on Samsara.
Serica
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Serica was never part of and did not break away from the Western Kingdom—rare among Nunonite nations. But its people are Nunonites, and the demographic breakdown most closely resembles Senecus, in that there is a great deal of diversity. Their cultures are quote similar as well.
The Sericans enjoy modern lifestyles. They show up to work, do their jobs, find ways to entertain themselves, and spend time with their families. They are not aggressive in nature, but seemed to have gotten roped into the Vahl Coalition by means of their geography and their history of amicable relations.
Serica also has a robust underwater community, where citizens live in the ocean off the coast, either on platforms or in submersed cities.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
Serica has excellent ocean access and large swaths of arable land. But its economy makes little use of these advantages. While it does have large agricultural exports, its most prolific industry is aeronautics, in which it competes primarily with the Senecians. It also has a strong legal industry.
Politically, Serica is a democracy. But its people are too busy to care much, and Vahl seems to be pulling the strings anyway.
Military and Diplomacy
Serica has the most powerful air force in the world. Hands down. It leverages Old World technology and the sheer number of jets, transports, and drones render it miles apart from any other nation, including Senecus. Its navy is a subset of its air force, and many of its jets are submersible and can dive into the water.
As a member of the Vahl Coalition, Serica acts in step with its allies.
Wildlife
Serica brought some of its own native plants and animals to Samsara, mostly various mammals and grasses, but the native wildlife of Vahl and Selarius have subsumed the landscape. Few of Serica's native creatures still survive outside of controlled settings. Such things were some of the harsh realities of migrating to Samsara.
History
The Serican civilization began sometime before the Great Cosmic Wars. Although it was not part of the Western Kingdom, and was much, much smaller, their civilizations were strong allies, and they fought together in the wars.
It wasn't until after the war that Serica found its niche—aeronautics. Although Senecus took the number one spot when it came to traditional space travel, Serica was number one in the atmosphere, developing aircraft so advanced that nations far and wide would buy them. It did develop some interesting space technology too, and when the Great Collapse came around, Serica helped transport some of the less developed nations to their allotments on Samsara.
Syberscithe
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
The Syberscithinthians, although they are born from a Nunonite lineage, have little connection with shared Nunonite culture and are the least similar in appearance. The nation has two prominent races, although there are others. The first are the Nie, long-necked, tall, pointy-eared, skinny people who usually wear long robes with collars that come up and cover much of their faces. The second are the Creeacs: a shorter but stockier, and some might say "rotund," people who dress in bright, flowing colors.
Their demeaners are equally distinct, the former being somewhat anti-social and witty, the latter being jovial and magnanimous. They tend to work in separate industries and their social circles don't often mix. They also generally live in separate communities, and their gatherings tend to reflect their natures.
The population is split nearly down the middle between these two groups, and the Nie generally enjoy more of the nation's wealth. When they do breed, albeit rarely, their offspring somehow end up looking a lot more like the average Nunonite than they do either of their parents.
Geography, Politics, and Economy
Syberscithe's territory spans desert, grasslands, and tropical forests, and it has a long southern coast running along the Parician Ocean. The nation is somewhat unique for its access to such diversity of natural, Samsaran landscapes, but perhaps even more unique is its political system.
The Nie and the Creeacs each have their own separate governing bodies. Syberscithe also has a federal government, but the federal government needs a 2/3 majority to do almost anything, giving it little power. So the ethnic governments really hold the power, and their policies do not always conform, leading to different rules for the Nie and the Creeacs, which is usually not too problematic. When it is, however, it often gets so bad that the 2/3 majority is satisfied, and the policy is changed. The Nie, however, somehow always end up on top.
The Nie speak the language of old money, and are home to Samsara's most famous hotel, luxury, tourism, and travel brands. The Creeacs, on the other hands, are almost purely blue-collar workers. In fact, they're known to be some of the most skillful builders on Samsara, and are often flown to other countries to work on large building projects.
Military and Diplomacy
The Creeacs comprise most of the Syberscinthian military, and the few Nie that choose to serve usually don't end up in combat. But even so, the Nie, tend to somehow end up making the military decisions. Although the Creeacs are more friendly to the East, the military, because of Vahl's connections with the Nie, is usually pro-Vahl in its official statements.
The Syberscinthian military's strength comes from its soldiers, who are plenty and hardy. It has a lot of manpower, a decent navy, and an outdated but numerous array of tanks and battle vehicles. The problem often lies in coordinating the military; its soldiers can be unruly.
Wildlife
Desert, tropical, and grassland plants all find homes in Syberscithe, but in the tropical forests in the country's west, things get interesting. Hundreds of species of carnivorous plants make themselves known, or sometimes hide, within these forests, snatching up small mammals or even larger ones from time to time. And in these tropical forests, a host of dinosaur-like species run rampant. Zoologists aren't sure where they evolved, but the prevailing theory is that they were native to the Syberscinthian home planet, before the Syberscinthians settled there. But these raptors and four-legged beasts of many kinds tend not to grow too much larger than an elephant. But in groups, they can still put up a fight with whatever native beasts make their way over from the Fallout.
On the domestic side of things, the Creeacs are renowned dog breeders, having bred thousands of species throughout the course of their history, ranging from dogs smaller than a kitten, to dogs larger than horses. And these dogs are bred for all types of specialized purposes, with distinct personality traits. For example, the Piso Seeto, a short-haired, lean breed about the size of a fox, was bred by city dwellers specifically to leap ten feet high and catch pigeons right out of the air, and they do just that.
History
Syberscithe is one of the few remaining Nunonite civilizations that doesn't seem to have broken off from the Western Kingdom. Its origins are unknown, but some records show that Syberscithe existed before Cosmic War One.
After the Great Cosmic Wars, Syberscithe became a mercantile civilization, facilitating trade between and trading with other civilizations across the known universe. This is where the Nie have derived most of their wealth. At some point in Syberscithe's history, the blue and white collar social classes became not only a wealth gap, but a genetic reality, and the Nie and the Creeacs grew distinct.
When they moved to Samsara, the social classes kept to their roles, but the many trade networks the Nie had developed through space had dissolved. On Samsara, the institutional knowledge and the relationships built over centuries helped the Nie rebuild some of these networks, but the logistics of global trade by land and sea changed the game, and the Nie lost much of their power.
Voleria
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
The Volerians look like your average Nunonite, but with a tan complexion and a bit of a Shimei feel to their faces, although they have no apparent links to the Shimei lineage. The culture is not atypical for a desert people, although their desert is more a mix of sand and dirt than the more quintessential Hysian-type deserts. The Volerians live in numerous, small communities across virtually the whole country. Some groups are semi-nomadic whereas others prefer not to leave their geographically fixed communities. They live in woven tents or mud huts and employ age-old ingenious traditional methods of dealing with the heat. Almost all human inhabitants in Voleria are Volerians, for few have chosen to adopt their lifestyle.
Their technology is limited, as it was in the Old World. The two factors that limit their adoption of modern conveniences are their limited economy and their strong religious roots. The Volerians are extremely religious and have found a way to blend Auroriacism with the Samanism spread to them by the Menecians to their west. Their Old World religions seem to have died out, but many Volerians still worship Valum Kal.
Neighboring Savaria has had little influence on Voleria, probably because there isn't much there besides the land itself. Much to the dismay of the Savarian rulers, however, some Volerian culture has made its way into Savaria. The Volerians, with their unique set of wooden instruments, invented their own form a cool desert jazz a few thousand years before moving to Samsara. The unique sounds and fluidity of the music are so alluring that many Savarian youth have come to enjoy it.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
The Volerian landscape is a dirty, gravelly, sandy desert. It is mostly flat and experiences regular windstorms with winds in excess of one-hundred miles per hour. The Volerian people have adapted to this harsh environment by sustaining themselves through animal husbandry. They mostly herd sheep, goats, and camels. They've also embraced the domesticated Harafan mud boar.
Politically, the Volerians are broken into tribal communities, each with their own tribal, political structures. On occasion, a group of regional tribes will form something of a tribal conglomerate, but the effect of this on other tribes is mitigated by distance between tribes. Generally speaking, however, tribes tend to ban together to terminate bellicose nomadic tribes should they present themselves, usually as a result of the ascendance of a conflict-minded leader.
Military and Diplomacy
Only during the Triton Wars have the Volerians ever come together as a nation to defend the nation from Savarian invasion, and this, truly, was in itself a magnificent tale. Men and women, both, collected their spears, swords, and the guns they could scrape together and that were provided to them by the Optronians and were successful in keeping the Savarians out. Beyond this singular occurrence, however, Voleria has never had a national military. Diplomatically, the Volerians have a team of international diplomats but the group only has a nominal role.
Wildlife
Vegetation in Voleria is scarce but it regrows quickly, allowing for a large populations of herd animals. Because most of Voleria is populated with humans, most of these herd are domesticated livestock. Volerians are also known for their broad variety of large dog breeds, bred for herding this livestock and protection from nomads. A few Forlander grass species have proven somewhat invasive to the Volerian landscape, but this has only been to the benefit of the Volerians. There have also been rumors of Sechwood Oaks popping up from time to time, but this has not been verified.
History
Near the very end of the Kingdom's Peace, The Western Kingdom established a robust colony on Voleria, at which point the colony enjoyed cutting-edge technology and modern conveniences. It even had its own MSC port.
Almost as quickly as the colony was established, however, it was destroyed when it came under the fire of the Dark Armies. Since then, it had little contact with the rest of the known universe and persisted as a subsistence society until the Great Migration, during which the Senecians and Sericans helped transport the Volerians and their plants and animals to their allotted land on Samsara.
Shimei Civilizations
The Shimei civilization can all be traced back to their mother civilization: the Shimei. Although the Shimei civilization was destroyed many thousands of years before Cosmic War One, two ships managed to leave the home world and continue the Shimei genetic line of humans. The circumstances under which the Shimei civilization was destroyed remain a mystery, shrouded in myth and legend. The Shimei civilizations are Krungtao, Shimea, Shindu Hidu, Sie Die Samsus, Sinzae, the Kai Islands, Tzu-San, and Xasha.
Krungtao
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
The happy people of Krungtao have few complaints, despite the crowded and often sewage-filled state of many of their cities. It is a poor country and many of its citizens live in favela-like housing. There are also few opportunities for social mobility. But the people are happy, nevertheless.
The Krungtao are slightly darker than the average Shimei, but otherwise share most of the same features. The nation has many subcultures, but among the mainstream threads that run though society, its people are Samanists. In the rural parts of the country, towns are often built around the Samanist temples at their centers.
Krungtao is a popular destination for expats, although not usually the best of them. Although almost ninety-five percent of the densely populated country are Krungtao, the roughly five percent of expats comprising the country are so... unique... that they add to the nation's character. Some call them “LBH’s,” or in other words, “Losers Back Home.”
Geography, Economy, and Politics
Krungtao sits in a tropical climate and has ocean access to its west, and a mountainous region in the north, giving the nation some of the most beautiful beaches and mountain ranges in the world. The nation benefits from strong agricultural ties with Bamboda to its east, and to the south are many tropical forests.
The main industries are manufacturing, tourism, and agriculture. It mostly manufactures smaller plastic goods and its farmers grow and export rice and fruit. As for tourism, the nation is a hotspot for underground activities, such as prostitution. For those that prefer not to venture to the Fallout, Krungtao is usually the best option for black market goods and services.
The country has a weak monarchy, which is beholden to many economic interests. A number of factions like to push back and forth on each other in hopes of influencing governing that promotes their interests. Sometimes the unrest even spills into the streets. But for the most part, the people still seem happy.
Military and Diplomacy
Krungtao's military is nothing special—it has a large navy, but most of its ships are smaller and don't leverage much technology. The army has many soldiers, but they have little training and even less discipline. But because of Krungtao's exports to many neighboring countries, the nation seems to get along with its neighbors. It also tends to be more sympathetic to the worldview of the Eastern Alliance than it does to Savaria or the Vahl Coalition.
Wildlife
You can find many species of monkeys in Krungtao, from those that could fit in the size of your palm, to those you'd hope never to see in person. Sloths, toucans, frogs, turtles, tropical rhinos, krela, oratokato, and veerkays also call Krungtao their home, and in large numbers. And occasionally, you'll even find a jeejeera wander down from the Fervus.
As for plant life, you can find most plants you'd expect to find in a rainforest. But in Krungtao, most of the trees bear fruit of some kind, edible to humans or not. And many of these fruits are poisonous. One of the safest ways to know which ones to eat and which to avoid is to simply watch the monkeys.
History
Although genetics and appearance make it clear that the Krungtao have descended from the Shimei, no one is sure what Krungtao was like before the Great Cosmic Wars. During them, however, the Shimei civilizations unanimously sided with the Western Kingdom, including Krungtao, which became a manufacturing hub for the Western Kingdom and its forces. The planet of Krungtao sat on the Shimei Belt, so it was easily accessible to the other Shimei civilizations through traditional space travel, and thus benefited from their trade networks with the Western Kingdom. After the wars ended, Krungtao maintained this role, and kept it all the way to present-day Samsara.
Shimea
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Shimea is an isolated world of a fishing and farming people who have changed little, both genetically and culturally, since Shimea was established. The civilization began when two ships left the original Shimei people's land to escape the destruction of their society. One of the ships landed on an uninhabited but plant-rich planet, which would later be named Shimea, and grow to become the Shimean civilization.
The Shimeans are extremely conservative and traditional. They are disciplined and do not use technology, even on Samsara, where they now have access to many conveniences the Shimeans never used. The culture has strict gender norms, and the traditions ensconce what, overtime, the Shimeans have found to most effectively continue their agrarian way of life.
Almost everyone living in Shimea is a Shimean. Small, thin, and agile, they probably resemble their ancestors, the Shimei, more closely than any other Shimea people.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
Shimea sits on a group of islands, with a bigger landmass in the south that it shares with Tzu-San. There is not much of an economy, although the Shimeans do use rare metals as currencies. But they mostly barter and trade.
Shimeans fish and they farm. That's about all they make and do. Of course, some are builders, educators, soldiers, etc. But there is nothing left for them to export, and they don't import much either.
Shimea is run by the Shinotos—the warrior class. The elders among them make the big decisions, but these are usually very few, and only have to do with war, dealing with natural disasters, or disagreements between neighboring towns. Below this governing group of elder Shinoto are the regional leaders, who are most often Shinoto as well. Politics in Shimea are highly localized.
Military and Diplomacy
Shimea's only military is its Shinoto. These legendary warriors train for most of their youth to become the most hardcore version of ninja warriors one could imagine possible. They only use traditional weapons, such as katana and throwing knives, but in the few times Shimea was invaded since its people came to Samsara, the Shinoto were strong enough to fend off massive armies of well-armed men. Part of the reason is also the dense, jungle terrain, which the Shinoto exploit by avoiding fighting at distances, and by using the element of surprise. No one is sure how many Shinoto there are among the highly populated Shimeans because they live double lives as farmers or fishermen.
Shimeans have little interest in establishing and maintaining diplomatic relations with other countries... so they don't.
Wildlife
The jungles of Shimea contain some of the densest plant life in all of Samsara, but the animal life is slightly scarcer. When the Shimeans first began their world on their home planet, the jungle predators were so vicious that the early Shimeans essentially had to go to war with the jungle to eradicate them. Consequently, there are few predators in Shimea. But those that do exists—the Shimean jaguar and the eero samah—are nothing to be trifled with.
The plant and herbivore life is pretty standard for a jungle environment, but the fierceness of many of the river fish is somewhat unique. The sharp-toothed freshwater stingray and the vircan river marlin being two of the most famous.
History
Shimea was founded by the lucky survivors of one of the two spaceships that fled the collapse of the Shimei empire sometime before the start of Cosmic War One. The survivors quickly established a traditional, Shimean society, but as generations passed, they forgot the technology their ancestors once knew of, passing knowledge of it down in myths and stories.
The Shimean home planet was invaded in both of the Great Cosmic Wars, but the Shinoto made occupying the country too costly an endeavor to be worth it. So they made it out the other side and continued on in their ways until Sinzae and Senecus sent down the many massive transports that brought Shimean life to its plot of land on Samsara.
Shindu Hidu
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Shindu Hidu was a Sinzaen project not long before the start of the Great Collapse. Sinzae seeded the world with plant and animal life and let it grow and evolve freely for a few hundred years before moving in. Some citizens of Sinzae then established homes on the planet.
The people of Shindu Hidu quickly developed their own unique culture, preferring to live on the lush forest floor than in modern, treetop homes. They also domesticated many of the rainforest animals, including some big cat species. The domestication of these animals is the Shindu Hiduan answer to living among dangerous, jungle predators.
The people of Shindu Hidu are also much more religious than the Sinzaens. They've embraced the Shimei religion of Samanism, but also seem to interweave it with elements of Auroraicism. They've lost much of the technology of their Sinzaen mother people, but they still live in semi-modern homes and produce electricity from the carbon in the trees.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
Shindu Hidu benefits from plentiful ocean access and a hot, humid climate. It shares a southern border with the Forlands in the south, allowing an easy trade route to a more agriculturally productive nation, and the countries closest northwards are fellow Shimei civilizations.
Shindu Hidu has a weak economy, largely based on natural products derived from the land and plants. Many of its unique tree species have strong medicinal properties, and the land on which it sits has rare earth minerals. Also, a number of plant species contain rare compounds that are used in chemical reactions to catalyze advanced forms of energy production.
Shindu Hidu is difficult to govern because it is highly populated and its people live on the floor level of the jungle, and so it's not easy to get around. although most of the jungle has human inhabitants spread evenly throughout, they tend gerrymander their communities once they reach about 150 people and create local governing bodies to run them.
Military and Diplomacy
Shindu Hidu does not have a formal military, but each tribal unit has its own local warriors. Many of them do have access to modern weapons, like guns, rendering the country very difficult to occupy, and for those without permission, travel through. Their domesticated jungle animals have also proven to be a pretty formidable deterrent to entering the jungle with bad intentions.
Although Shindu Hiduans live in separate communities in a barely navigable jungle, somehow word travels fast. They have access to the Global Data-Sharing Network and get news of what's going on in the world, and strongly side with the Eastern Alliance over the Savarians or the Vahl Coalition.
Wildlife
The most ferocious of the animals living in the jungles here are not from Shindu Hidu, but from Samsara herself—native gorillas. These behemoths made their way from the Fallout sometime during the integration period and found Shindu Hidu's plant life to provide great foliage for nesting, and even more nutritious than they were used to in the Fallout. As for the rest of the animals in the jungle, somehow the Shindu Hiduans found a way to domestic everything from anteaters to heether cats.
History
Sometime after Cosmic War Two but before the Great Collapse, Sinzae made the decision to begin reseeding the universe with life, as its Shimei ancestors once had. Shindu Hidu was one of such endeavors, and on the planet of Shindu Hidu, the Sinzaens dropped a number of life-bombs. The life they spawned quickly grew to cover the whole planet, and soon after, a group of Sinzaen immigrants moved in.
These Sinzaens developed their own traditions and character, and once their population hit a number high enough, they peacefully declared independence from Sinzae. The Shindu Hiduans had technology enough to maintain communication and a strong relationship with Sinzae, but, perfectly content with their own home planet, they didn't get too wrapped up in space travel. It wasn't until Samsara was announced to the world that the Shindu Hiduans truly needed it.
Sie Die Samsus
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Sie Die Samsus is a world made by the sea, and the sea has sculpted the Sie Die Samsi as a people. They are not particularly religious but there are pockets of land-dwelling Sie Die Samsi who are Samanist, where there are some Samanist temples. But for the most part, the Sie Die Samsi either live on the shallow seas in stilted homes, or they live along the coasts and draw life from the water.
Almost all who live in Sie Die Samsus are Sie Die Samsi natives, who resemble the average Shimei, but have olive-toned skin. They haven't lived away from the Shimei for long enough to develop significant adaptations to the sea, but their feet are perhaps a bit more prehensile than most Shimei, probably so that they can pick things up out of the shallow water.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
The nation has a few, large landmasses, but most of the seas surrounding it are shallow. This feature is due in part to the coral formations that seem to hold sandbars together. Of course, there are deep spots between sea-dwelling villages, but there is enough shallow sea to sustain a sizable population.
The Sie Die Samsi fish for sustenance and trade hand-crafted goods with each other. On land, there's a bit more appetite for material goods, but the lack of any real political or economic structure in the nation doesn't seem to bother its people.
Military and Diplomacy
Sie Die Samsus has no national military, and the sea-dwelling population don't even have weapons, aside from the spears they use for fishing. On land, the people make modest efforts to defend their villages from bandits, but there's little the nation could do in the face of an invasion. Given their military weakness, it might be wise for them to develop strong diplomatic ties, but they haven't done that either. It seems no one else is really interested in occupying the dense forests or shallow seas of the nation besides the Sie Die Samsi.
Wildlife
Countless species of colorful fish swarm the seas of Sie Die Samsi, and it’s also home to sea turtles and dolphins. The coral that holds it all together, too, seems to have a life of its own, and in many ways, seems alive. But the real mystery is what lies deep within the unnavigable, tropical forests in the nation's landmasses. Only few Sie Die Samsi are brave enough to venture into these forests, and only fewer emerge—often with stories of monsters.
History
The history of Sie Die Samsus is almost entirely unknown. The people are genetically related to the Shimei, and geneticists and genealogists seem to agree that the distinct lineage began sometime before the Great Cosmic Wars. But because the people have no written language, how it all started, and what happened up to the point that the ships came down to bring the people to Samsara, is mere conjecture.
Sinzae
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Sinzae claims to, and to some extent probably does, hold the torch of the Shimei civilization. Although the country of Shimea has preserved many of the traditions of the Shimei, it is in Sinzae that the daily life is probably most similar to the daily lives of the Shimei ancestors.
Sinzae is highly modernized. And like the Shimei before them, the Sinzaens have learned to live with nature. Sinzaens live in cutting-edge homes which are built into the rainforest. Literally, homes and office buildings are essentially giant, high-tech treehouses. They convert the carbon of the forest directly into electricity, negating the need for electrical plants or power lines, and they travel by air, over the canopy, between locations. They build industrial plants, larger buildings, and factories on ocean platforms, so there is no need to destroy the rainforest.
Lifestyles in Sinzae are highly sought after, so the Sinzae have restricted the number of foreigners allowed in the country. So roughly ten percent living in Sinzae are Nunonites from one country or another, roughly five percent are Shimei people from another country, and the rest are native Sinzaens. Although some Sinzaens maintain their Samanist roots, for the most part they are not religious.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
Sinzae sits in a tropical climatic zone which experiences heavy rainfall on a daily basis. It is composed of a number of large masses, with large stretches of sea between. In these areas of sea, Sinzae houses its industrial economy, over the water. It is careful not to release pollutants into the sea.
Its main industries are robotics, vehicle manufacturing, battery production, semi-conductor manufacturing, and shipping logistics. The nation's political structure is a cross between a democracy and a techno-state, and its democratically elected leaders often weigh competing interests between the navy, industry, and the well-educated citizens of the country.
Military and Diplomacy
Sinzae likely has the strongest military on Samsara. Its ships are many, and they're equipped with the latest sea-faring technology, including rail guns, arc destroyers, and sonic beams. Its military’s only weakness appears to be submarines and other underwater adversaries. Its land and air forces, however, are somewhat lacking.
Sinzae tends to show favor to the other Shimei civilizations, often coming to their aid in naval matters. It is part of the Eastern Alliance.
Wildlife
Elephants, big cats, birds, monkeys, gorillas, reptiles, Sinzaen Dragons, sloths, butterflies, okapi, deer of many kinds and colors, and insects you'd hope you never see all live in large numbers in Sinzae, as well as every kind of rainforest plant you could imagine. The nation of Sinzae has a profound respect for its natural landscape and chooses to live side by side with it. Ambitions often conflict when coming into contact with predators, but the Sinzaen homes and businesses are usually high in the trees, many peeking out above the canopy, giving the predators few chances to get inside.
History
Ancient documents indicate that when the Shimei civilization collapsed, its people found refuge on two planets in another galaxy: Sinzae and Shimea.
Sinzae became much like its mother civilization, using much of the technology the Shimei once enjoyed when it spanned across a galaxy. But after the Great Cosmic Wars decimated the planet and its off-world colonies, Sinzae stuck to its home world once it redeveloped its infrastructure.
The civilization was able to transport itself to Samsara, where it became a nation. On Samsara, it continued mostly in peace, with a few hiccups during the Triton Wars, where it protected its Shimei allies and suffered a few retaliatory attacks on the homeland.
The Kai Islands
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
The islanders of the Kai have similar features to most of the Shimei but are a little taller, broader, and darker. Their culture is typical of many island regions, and almost everyone in the Kai Islands are Kai, as most other nations in the region have more wealth, so regional citizens don't find much reason to migrate there.
The Kai people follow Samanism but with an island flavor. They tend to be less interested with the pursuit of enlightenment, and more with living a carefree life in the present. Kai scholars have interpreted the ancient Samanist texts discussing how “paradise is now” to mean not that one should strive for paradise, but that one should not strive at all. The simple lives of the Kai are reflections of this interpretation.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
The Kai Islands are, as the name suggests, a group of islands. In the Old World, these islands were much smaller and more spread out, but their home on Samsara is close enough to have preserved their way of life. The Kai are expert fishermen, and they export some agriculture. They do less cultivating of their fruit trees, however, than they do harvesting—the fruit trees are just so, so abundant. The nation imports most of its other needs from Krungtao.
Some from Vahl Coalition countries use the Kai Islands as a tourist location, bringing in some revenue, but they usually don't stay for too long. And although the Kai Islands are officially governed by local, tribal governments, the Vahl Coalition considers the islands under its sphere of influence, which means that Vahl has the final say. That being said, Vahl barely finds reason to intervene—not that it could.
Military and Diplomacy
Besides a few modified fishing boats, the Kai Islands have no national military. Vahl likes to keep it this way. The Vahl Coalition does, however, maintain a few powerful naval bases on the islands, which comprises most of the island's military presence.
Wildlife
The Kai Islands are home to a variety of small monkey species, including the nefarious Kai Cheecho—a particularly clever and malicious little thing. On its islands, you can also find okapi, orapi, parrots, toucans and many other species of birds. Also, bats, seals, and tropical penguins live on the islands farthest south.
As for plants, the Kai Islands are well known for their fecund and verdant tropical forests, with many fruit trees and flower species. Notable at the unique species of giant leafies, as they call them—massive ferns of only twenty of so, massive, sturdy leaves, some reaching as high as trees. Also unique to the Kai Islands are many species of giant flowers.
History
It is believed that the Kai Islands started off as an off-world, Samanist colony, sometime before Cosmic War One, and before the demise of the Shimei. The planet had no local MSC port and could only be reached by traditional space travel. But it was far away from any other known civilization, so it developed somewhat independently, and without much development in technology. In fact, on Samsara, the nation enjoys more tech than it did in the Old World.
Tzu-San
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Little is known about the Tzu-San. While they descend from the Shimei, they have cut all ties with every other nation on Samsara. They also do not allow entry, under any circumstances, into their territory—they shoot down any intruder without warning.
During the Great Migration to Samsara, however, the Tzu-San were forced to interact with other civilizations. Although they could transport themselves to the planet without help, they needed to work with others to coordinate logistics and to provide verified evidence of their population, and what they were bringing to Samsara. From these interactions, it became clear that the Tzu-San had, to some extent, merged with computers.
These humans look Shimei, but their skin is white as snow, and they've undergone some cybernetic enhancements. On the list of non-organic materials they brought to Samsara were thousands of supercomputers the size of entire skyscrapers. But no one knew what they were for.
Tzu-San is the only nation the Apollus Project could not access.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
Tzu-San is surrounded by Varuna Ocean on its east, south, and west, but it borders part of Shimea to the north, and the Shimeans know not to get too close. No one outside of Tzu-San is sure what its internal politics looks like, or how its economy runs—if there is one at all. But from the limited interactions it has had with the outside world, it seems that it's some kind of a techno-state.
Military and Diplomacy
Tzu-San has no diplomatic relations with any country, but does have one fiberoptic cable running into Shimea, although its only ever sent a message once, just before the forcefield closed.
Wildlife
On the docket for entry to Samsara was a host of rainforest plants and animals, like those that exist across most of the Shimei nations. But how this life has fared on Samsara is unknown, for no outsiders have entered.
History
Records indicate that Tzu-San existed before the Great Cosmic Wars, but it didn't take part in either of them and simply shot down any craft on either side that came close to its distant home planet. It is rumored that Tzu-San houses the ancient and now-destroyed Shimei civilization's lost secrets and carry them to this day.
When transporting its life to Samsara, the Tzu-San occasionally interacted with Shimeans, Elydians, Senecians, and Vahlan, but these limited interactions didn't reveal much. After the forcefield closed, the nation has been silent and unvisited.
Xasha
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
The Xash are the Nunonites of the Shimei. Xash have Nunonite facial features and skin tones, but they are smaller on average than the average Nunonite—a trait carried over from their ancestors. In fact, the Xash have some Nunonite DNA, suggesting that the two classes of human have interbred.
Culturally, too, the Xash share much with the Nunonites. They enjoy going out for entertainment, living in cities, and having access to modern technology. Education is done well in Xasha, and its citizens mostly fall somewhere within the upper-middle class.
It's not uncommon to find people from other countries living in Xasha, especially Nunonites, given that their cultures share so many similarities. But what you won't find in any Nunonite land are many of the strange plants and animals native to Xasha.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
Xasha is surrounded by the Black Mountains to its west, the Haptic Forests to the north, and Zaid and Yamalus to the south. To its west, it enjoys easy access to the mysterious Haptic Lake. The economy in Xasha is service oriented, and is largely internal. It imports far more than it exports, but its consulting services in a broad spectrum of industries allows it to sustain this deficit. Politically, Xasha is a democracy, and it experiences many of the same problems of the democracy in Senecus—too many competing interests. But the country chugs along.
Military and Diplomacy
Xasha has a reasonably strong military force, or at least enough of one to protect itself against threats from its neighbors. But of course, Xasha is no match for the Vahl Coalition, or any country in the Coalition. In fact, Xasha behaves quite predictably because of its proximity to the Coalition. Although its governing philosophy, and probably the nation's heart, is more sympathetic to eastern powers, it acts in accord with the Vahl Coalition and its preferences.
Xasha has a strong force of soldiers. Much like the Senecians, these soldiers are well-trained and well-equipped. Unlike Senecus, though, Xasha doesn't have much of an air force. Although they Xash try to revamp their air force from time to time, the Vahl Coalition uses its political pressure to quell such ambitions.
Wildlife
Even the Xash don't know of every species that lives in its forests. When they rounded up animal life to bring it to Samsara, they often encountered species they never knew existed, and that they didn't even document. So their rainforests on Samsara are equally as mysterious as they were in the Old World. But common are the okapi, orapi, veerkays, gorillas, monkeys, giraffes, elephants, big cats, big canine species, tartars, and filistrils.
History
Xasha probably broke off from the Shimei some time before Cosmic War One, since it was not one of the escape colonies when the Shimei civilization collapsed. But the Xash never developed strong space-faring technology because they had access to a nearby MSC port.
The Xash took part in both cosmic wars, siding with the Western Kingdom, and as a result, took quite a bit of planetary damage. At the end of the war, its rainforests recovered. The Xash, however, never got completely back on their feet. There are many stories of the technologies the Xash once integrated into their daily lives, technologies that the Xash certainly don't use today, and hadn't used since before the Great Cosmic Wars. But no one can be certain which, if any, of these stories are true.
Nrinian Civilizations
The Nrinian civilizations have all spawned from an ancient civilization called Nri. Remnants of Nri still exists today but no longer in its former glory. The Nrinians are considered human but appear distinct in that they have somewhat more reptilian-looking skin, bigger eyes, skinny builds, and small noses. Because of the vague and mysterious history of the universe as a result of the two Cosmic Wars, it is unclear if the Nrinians independently evolved into their humanoid form or share a common ancestor with one of the other broader categories of human. The Nrinian civilizations are Celize, Menecia, Nri, and Sandos
Celize
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
In the Old World, the Celize were an exclusively space-faring civilization. Their culture emerged directly from the people of Nri, and therefore is still quite similar. But space, of course, influenced some distinct changes, especially as it pertains to their fungi-based diet and the types of jobs available.
Like the Nri, the Celize are tall, skinny, and have taut, reptilian-like, gray skin, big eyes, and small noses. All living in the Celize civilization in the Old World were Celize, but on Samsara, the nation is home to many Nunonites, who have helped the Celize adapt to life on the ground. As a result, the Celize have adopted much of Nunonite cultures, and many Celize have become Justinians—the most popular Nunonite religion.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
The land in Celize is unfortunately no substitute for the massive spaceships in which its people once lived. But the flat, humid terrain gives them ample real estate to farm the fungi they once farmed in space and to develop homes that fit their needs. In fact, because the Celize were unable to use their spaceships on Samsara, they used the ships capable of making planetary landings as homes, simply landing them on Samsara and decommissioning them. Most nations scrapped their spaceships for parts, but the Celize used them for living spaces.
The Celize lost most economic activity once they moved to Samsara, so their economy is somewhat depressed. But they are, however, known as good mechanics, and seem to be able to fix just about any contraption someone will pay them to.
Their "space democracy" of an earlier era still lives on Samsara, and what were once governing bodies for space stations became the regional governments, all under a federal government which unites them.
Military and Diplomacy
Celize didn't have a military in the Old World, but their space stations were well equipped to defend themselves. On Samsara, they took some of their battle cruisers to the planet's surface and simply parked them at various points along their borders. These laser-wielding behemoths are strong enough to deter uncommitted invasions. But the Savarians seem undeterred.
Otherwise, the Celize get along well with their neighbors, and are part of the Eastern Alliance. They keep a number of military bases on its southwestern border to deal with overambitious warlords from the Fallout.
Wildlife
Besides the plants the Celize farmed on their space stations, the only plants and animals living in its borders are those that were either native to Samsara or that wandered over from neighboring nations. Especially from Optron and Bamboda—the Celize kind of learned to like them.
History
Before the Great Cosmic Wars, a great many Nrinians and their descendants lived in space. The Great Cosmic Wars were the end to all of it. In fact, the Nrinians have been said to be as essential to winning Cosmic War One as the Western Kingdom. CWII, though, was certainly the Kingdom's feat.
After the wars ended, however, the Nrinians ventured back into the Cosmos. They soon developed their own governing structure, and Celize was born—a large number of massive space stations whose people lived under the same banner.
On Samsara, they struggled to make their way at first, unfamiliar with living on the land. But as generations passed and they mixed with the Nunonites, things finally came together.
Menecia
Few Menecians are left, as the Savarians killed most of them during the Triton Wars when it invaded and took over the Menecian territory.
The Menecian civilization was once a colony of Sandos, and grew to develop its own unique traditions, including a style of ornate architecture unlike any other in the known universe. In the Old World, many Menecians also lived in space stations orbiting their planet.
In the Old World, the Menecians harvested energy from its sun to create rare elements, then sold these elements across the known universe. It was ruled by a democracy much like that of Sandos, and the surface of the planet had little planet or animal life. This was also the case on Samsara, where it was unable to develop a strong economy in part due to relentless pressure from Savarian subterfuge, and in part because it could no longer continue its flagship industry.
Now, Menecia is essentially an extension of Savaria and Menecia has been, for the most part, paved over. Hundreds of Savarian cities have already sprouted in the territory.
Nri
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
The Nri are the oldest of the Nrinian civilizations, hence the name. In fact, unlike the other civilizations on Samsara, such as Senecus, Serica, Shimea, Enoch, etc., who all emerge from a lost civilization, the Nri have no known ancestor.
The Nri are tall, skinny, and have grayish skin, small noses, and big eyes, but many live in the nation who are not Nri. Most, however, Nri or otherwise, are well educated. Nri is known for having the best universities on Samsara and has produced some of the known universe’s most famous philosophical and musical works. Nri is a high-class society and its residents prefer the "finer things," but it has a relatively small population.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
This small, mountainous country is known for its educational services, which makes up a large chunk of its economy. But the nation has a strange political system which it is somewhat similar to a democracy—there are only so many ways to distribute power. Nri's form of government is called institutionalism. In this system, various institutions run the country and share power in decision making. These institutions include universities, labor departments, transportation departments, law firms, business organizations, etc. How each organization chooses its leader is up to each individual organization, and the institutions themselves vote on how much power each institution should get, utilizing game theory.
Military and Diplomacy
Nri only has a small military force capable of dealing with immediate, internal threats. But they are extremely friendly with the Eastern Alliance, though not formally a part of it. The Eastern Alliance protects the nation.
Wildlife
Nri is home to a few plants and animals unlike any other in the Nunonite, Vella'ic, or Shimei civilizations. Notable among them are the kirsquals, the ruddish krots, and the frolicking tinterlopes. But various species of mammals live in Nri as well, and of course many species of fungi, trees, bushes, ferns, and grasses.
History
The Nri claim to have lived alongside the first Nunonites, Shimei, and Vella'i, but such stories cannot be confirmed. It is known, however, they the Nri don't have a known ancestral civilization. Of course, they came from somewhere, but that remains unknown.
In the Great Cosmic Wars, Nri joined the Western Kingdom, and suffered a great deal as a result. But its small population was easy to rebuild and its people did their best not to forget their technology and culture.
Sandos
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Sandos share the Nrinian look: tall, skinny, gray skinned, big eyed, small nosed. But their water-inspired architecture makes them truly distinct from the other Nrinian cultures. Another point of distinction is, of course, their absolute dominance in water sports.
Also somewhat unique to the Sandos is their obsession with gaming among the youth, many of whom are also prolific coders. This includes highly developed virtual reality games. Although there are many pockets of Nunonite populations living inside of Sandos, the feel of the nation is distinctly Sandos.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
The Sandos have access to some of the most beautiful beaches on Samsara, which has created the opportunity for a booming tourist industry. But Sandos is also the center of global movie production, and the film industry is a prominent fixture in the north of the country. Besides movies, agriculture is another of Sandos' primary exports.
Sandos is a classic democracy, with a Senecian-inspired constitution.
Military and Diplomacy
Although Sandos does not have a powerful military, it is close friends with the Eastern Alliance. If Sandos had a strong military, it probably would have joined. But its pro-Eastern movies provide cultural influence favoring the Eastern Alliance which helps promote the Alliance's pro-little-guy image.
Wildlife
Sandos is home to some Nrinian animals, such as kirsquals and frolicking tinterlopes, but the Saiphen animals and plants from the Fallen Kingdom seem to have populated most of the countryside.
History
Sandos broke off from Nri sometime before the Great Cosmic Wars and fought with the Western Kingdom in both of them. After the wars, it lived on in relative peace until the Great Collapse, when the Sandos were able to transport themselves to Samsara.
Hyrtulrean Civilizations
The Hytulrean civilizations are generally less developed than the civilizations of other classes of human. Those emerging from this line are typically taller, stronger, and broader than the other classes, but on average, also less intelligent. They tend to prefer the mountains and colder climates. The Hyrtulrean civilizations are Chendruk, Hyrtus, Krasos, Ouur, Pontus, and Yamalus.
Chendruk
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Chendrukans are large, gruff, broad-shouldered humans who, if they have any emotions at all, don't display them. Their artic climate has rendered them highly resistant to the cold and engendered a coldness in their own spirits. Most of them learn to ice skate and they often use frozen rivers as roadways. Almost everyone who lives in Chendruk is a Chendrukan—it's not a very happy place.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
Chendruk's climate is bitterly cold, and it’s surrounded by the Galene Ocean on almost all sides. Mountains separate it from its northern neighbor, Pontus.
The economy in Chendruk is quite depressed. Somehow, its people have found a way to farm certain crops even in such freezing temperatures, harvesting and preparing the edible needles of a tree much like the evergreen. It has few exports besides its infamous mercenary services. Many of its people hunt game to survive the harsh winters.
Chendruk is somewhat communistic in that a group of elite have oligarchic control of the country and stymie dissent and innovation whenever it seems to pop up. But most Chendrukans are not political, and they prefer to stick to their farms and cottages anyway.
Military and Diplomacy
The Chendrukan military has little capacity to do much damage outside of Chendruk, or perhaps in Pontus, but it would certainly not be wise to make an incursion into the nation’s borders. Its soldiers are as resilient as they are aggressive, and the climate and terrain are unforgiving. The military does use some old tanks they bought for the Triton Wars, but most of their military is made up of ground soldiers with machineguns and axes.
Chendruk maintains close ties with the Vahl Coalition and runs the infamous Maztron prison on its behalf. The mountains that separate Chendruk from Pontus are a blessing for both nations, because they don't really get along, but they don't interact much either.
Wildlife
Most famous of the Chendrukan animals are the high-antlered reindeer. These jaw-droppingly massive creatures carry antlers that reach 14 feet into the air. Herds of such creatures frolicking through the mountains are known to cause avalanches on a regular basis.
Also notable are the Chendrukan Needlestacks—tall trees whose needles can be eaten and digested by humans and reindeer alike.
History
No one knows how, when, or why the Chendrukan civilization came to be, but few have cared to find out. The first known contact with the Chendrukans occurred during Cosmic War Two, when a downed ship crashed landed on one of its mountains. But strangely enough, the Chendrukans share DNA with the Hyrtulrean people, so their ancestors must have settled in Chendruk at some point long before they were discovered, or Chendrukans traveled somewhere else, long, long ago.
Whether human beings all came from one original planet, or independently evolved in different locations throughout the universe is a question no one seems to have an answer too. Unfortunately, the mysteries of where the Chendrukans came from don't seem to provide much help—their origins are also lost.
Hyrtus
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Few true Hyrtans still live on Samsara, but the land is not unoccupied. A motley combination of each of the primary lineages have moved into this territory on Samsara.
The Hyrtan genetic code has mostly fizzled out, as they have so prolifically interbred with Nunonites. But their DNA always had a number of Nunonite strains, advancing the theory that human beings in the known universe had one origin. But it isn't clear whether the mixed DNA in the original Hyrtans was because of interbreeding or a common origin, so this one really could go either way.
Whatever the case, the Hyrtans looked and acted much like Nunonites, though they were a bit taller than Nunonites, and smarter than Hyrtulreans. Their Old World society was probably most similar to the Forlands, in that it was a place in which little seemed to happen besides average people living out their daily lives.
Some Hyrtans still live in Hyrtus, but after the Triton Wars, most have migrated to other countries. During the Triton Wars, Savaria tried occupying Hyrtus. It devastated the Hyrtan nation, but in the end, the Savarians lost interest, looking instead to the East. So Hyrtus, now, is "free parking" for Samsara's nomadic peoples. As a result, a sizable population of Artillians have settled there, even though the Savarians keep trying to kick them out.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
The geography in Hyrtus has a little bit of everything, with a large lake in the middle. Most of the land is covered by forest, but it is otherwise fertile and arable.
Hyrtus seems to be kind of a "little of this here, little of that there" economy. It is extremely diverse in that there is no real focus of the economy, but this seems to come at the expense of economic activity. Prior to the Triton Wars, Hyrtus had a large, agricultural economy. This, unfortunately, has since collapsed.
The political structure seems to mirror the economy. For the most part, decisions are made on a local level, and communities trade with one another for goods and resources. Those relationships seem to comprise the nervous system of the political system, but there's not much of a brain to run it.
Military and Diplomacy
There is no formal military in Hyrtus, but many groups have formed their own local militias which could, in theory, fight under the same banner should the country be invaded again. For the most part, though, no one besides the Savarians are interested, and the Savarians seem to have their hands full with pushing eastward.
Wildlife
Coyotes, boar, wolves, giant wolverine, forest buffalo, trints, rabbits, and perds are common in Hyrtus, but a number of the strange and ever-evolving creatures from the Haptic Forests have found their ways in as well.
The land on Hyrtus was only modestly terraformed, so some native species of both plants and animals remain. The Great Galene Current naturally cools Ouur, while the warm Se Lancian sea naturally warms the Haptic forests. Being between them, Hyrtus has plants and animals from both tropical and freezing climate venture in from time to time, especially as the seasons change.
History
The Hyrtans had always been somewhat of a modest people. They didn't do too much space exploration back in the day, and generally got along well with trade partners and visitors. Hyrtus took the side of the Western Kingdom in the Great Cosmic Wars and was decimated at a result. But in time, it bounced back.
When it came time to transport themselves to Samsara, the Senecians and Savarians provided the most help. Hyrtus did have space-faring ships, but nothing of the size and type required to transport hundreds of thousands of live plants and animals in each trip that would be required for the scale of what was required.
Krasos
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
The Kratians are big, tall, calloused, strong, and somehow always seem to be covered in grease. They are the terraformers. The big builders. The guys you call to move a mountain, or something equally as big.
Their culture, as well, seems to revolve around their terraforming. These workaholics of a people, an often alcoholics too, are obsessed with their craft, so when they run into dry spells terraforming, they move into mining their own lands.
Although most people who live in Krasos are Kratian, it's a popular destination for other Hyrtulrean people. Since settling on Samsara, the Kratians have been doing their best to recruit the Drrundornavordans, too. But it has proven to be difficult to get them to leave the country.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
Krasos is a land of hilly forests and mountains. It has no ocean access, but sits in the middle of a number of large lakes.
The Kratian "just-shut-up-and-work" mentality is present in both its economy and its people. These terraforms are lover of moving rocks and dirt, so they don't mind that the terraforming and mining companies are also the political parties that run the country. They do so for both mining and development purposes for nations all over Samsara. They are truly the masters of heavy—very heavy—machines.
Military and Diplomacy
The Kratians don't have much of a military force, but the Vahl Coalition, a close ally, protects them. The Kratians return the favor with their services. The Kratians don't seem to care much about global politics. They like Vahl because they respect and admire strength.
But if the Kratians did ever need to defend themselves, they’re quite a rough and rowdy bunch. Besides, their heavy machinery could, in theory, do more than just move dirt—they could work as weapons.
Wildlife
Krasos has some unique creatures living within its borders, some transported from the home planet, and some native to Samsara. The native animals seemed to thrive there. For a civilization so able to terraform, they did little of it for themselves.
Among these animals are giant toads, lake seals and lake manatees, mastodons and elephants, many species and all sizes of snakes, creodonta, condylarth, and various species of what one might be inclined to call dinosaurs.
The plants in Krasos are peculiar too. Very large plants. In fact, many of the biggest tree species come from the Kratian home planet. Many of the seedlings that they brought over are still growing.
History
Before Cosmic Wars One and Two, Krasos was a massive civilization with homes on many worlds. Its expertise in terraforming earned it an income few civilizations could compete with. But when the wars rolled around, it seems Krasos chose the wrong side.
Krasos is one of few remaining civilizations that sided with the Dark Armies, and then the Entente of Exiles. The Dark Armies and Entente of Exiles, in CWI and CWII respectively, were winning both wars for the majority of them. But toward the end, Krasos fell along with them. The need for its terraforming services is probably what saved it.
Ever since, the known universe never let Krasos expand beyond its home planet again, though many civilizations still hired Krasos for terraforming. But it never shook the scorn of the world. Even after helping others terraform their land on Samsara, before they brought in their plants and animals, the power of the stories of suffering in the Great Cosmic Wars never seemed to fade.
Ouur
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
The Ouur are closely related to Chendrukans, but the rough and intimidating features the Chendrukans are known for are even further accentuated in the Ouur. These rugged hunters often stand eight feet tall and their broad shoulders and dense chests make them human monsters.
The Ouur people are the Hyrtulrean hunter-gatherers of cold climates. In fact, the concept of the Ouur is somewhat contrived; the Ouur come from many planets in the Old World. They do seem to have a common ancestor, and genetically similarities, and are clearly of the Hyrtulrean lineage. But they did not all share a common civilization, planet, or culture. Simply put, there were many planets too cold for most civilizations to colonize, but which had ample plant and animals life for a large, human, hunting population to survive. The people who lived there had come to be called the Ouur.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
The land allocated to the Ouur was essentially "free parking" to all of the hunter-gatherers of the otherwise uninhabited, freezing planets—of which there were many. So the Ouur were allotted a plot of land in a cold climatic zone which closely resembled many of their home worlds. Most of the plants and animals there are native. But the Ouur are such skilled hunters, it doesn't seem to be a problem. And as far as their economy and politics go, there really are neither. The Ouur live in small, often nomadic groups, and only occasionally trade meats and furs.
Military and Diplomacy
The Ouur have no military or relations with other countries, although the Pontans, who brought most of the Ouur to Samsara, do occasionally attempt a census.
Wildlife
The wildlife in Ouur is almost all native, so the animals are more powerful than their international counterparts, given the gravity shift. These include elk, the arctic horse, north terrainian bears, foxes, hares, walruses, seals, caribou, avarae, moose, wolves, and yak.
The forests of the land, especially in the infamous Deep Woods, are unbelievably dense, with trees of circumferences as large as 200 feet.
History
It's unclear where the Ouur came from, but it is likely they are most closely related to Chendrukans, are most closely related to a shared ancestor that came after the original Hyrtulreans. The Ouur were once dispersed across the known universe, living on colder planets in small numbers. It's very likely many planets with similar types of humans living on the surface had never been discovered. They only made it to Samsara by the good graces of Pontus, Senecus, and Sinzae.
Pontus
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
The people of Pontus, at first glance, are incredibly unlike the rest of the Hyrtulrean peoples. Pontans use modern technology and conveniences in their daily lives, they have a strong, dynamic economy, they look more like Nunonites than they do Chendrukans, and they live under a democratic government. Pontans are the smallest of the Hyrtulreans and don't have the characteristically brutish strength or broad shoulders. The feature that most distinguishes them from Nunonites is the thickness of their skin, which, although subtle, almost appears a bit rubbery—probably an adaptation to deal with the cold.
Few live in Pontus but Pontans, probably in part because of the cold, and in part because of the culture. Although the Ponton people are pretty progressive, they almost exclusively marry through arranged marriages—an old cultural practice they've never shook. But it works for them; they don't divorce, and domestic abuse is seen as especially abhorrent. The Pontans are a generally peaceful people, both as a nation and as individuals.
Pontans are also quite invested in many winter sports. They don't care much for the more aggressive sports, like hockey, which they can never seem to beat the Chendrukans in anyway. But individual sports are outrageously popular.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
Pontus' climate is sunny, windy, and cold, with temperatures almost always below freezing. It is surrounded on all sides by the frigid Galene Ocean, except to its east, where it is separated by unnavigable mountains from Chendruk. Northern Pontus, however, is so cold that even Pontans don't live there. But that's not to say nothing does—or at least the myths might have us think so.
The Pontans enjoy a dynamic economy. Their main exports are fish, iron, steel, and raw materials, but Pontus is also home to a lucrative energy-production industry. Despite its isolation, its hydrogen engines and generators are exported all over Samsara and are used to power vehicles as well as homes, businesses, and in some countries, electric grids.
Pontus is a democracy, which is unlike the other Hyrtulreans. But its robust and diverse economy is also unique among the Hyrtulrean civilizations and it opens the door for many competing interests to voice their concerns—something democracy alone has been able to handle without eventually imploding or exploding. The slow death is that of democracy.
Military and Diplomacy
Pontus' isolation and strong trade relationships have allowed its military to atrophy, although its navy is strong enough to put up a fight for a while, should it ever be invaded. But few care about what happens in the region, besides the Pontans, who actually are quite touchy about what happens in their region, which is why they've focused on their navy.
Pontus is sympathetic to other democracies and, diplomatically, is less attached to its Hyrtulrean roots. In the hearts of the Pontans, however, the connection seems to remain. But industry in Pontus sells its products to all types of countries, from Savaria to Senecus, and doesn't get involved in the politics.
Wildlife
There are a surprisingly many plants given the climate. But it is home to many species of berries, evergreens, fungi, and arctic cacti. The ziltra trunks famously come from Pontus as well—giant, leafless tree trunks that can become as hard as rocks and grow hundreds of feet high.
The animals are also well adapted to the freezing climates, and live in Pontus in great numbers. Among them are walrus, wolves, bears, azirak, hares, gray chirsa, moose, mammoths, arctic sloths, and musk ox. And many species of whale and fish swarm the oceans nearby.
History
There are accounts that Pontus fought in both cosmic wars, so the consensus is that Pontus must have been established long enough before CWI that it could have manufactured and sustained space travel technology. Its home planet was in the Shimei belt, on a planet far too cold for the Shimei to be interested.
Perhaps the most interesting part of Pontan history is in Pontan DNA. They have small bodies and don't appear much at all like the rest of the Hyrtulreans, but they definitely share Hyrtulrean DNA. It remains unknown whether humans evolved from the same location in the universe, or multiple, but the ability to the Pontans to evolve so strikingly away from their shared ancestor with the rest of the Hyrtulrean civilizations suggests that such divergences could be the case for all humans—maybe the Vella'i, Nunonites, Hyrtulreans, etc. share a common ancestor as well. The distinctions between them would certainly be explainable.
Yamalus
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Natural Yamalans are very few, but were provided a large plot of land on Samsara because the land itself was essentially uninhabitable to anyone perhaps Drrundornavordans. The Senecians offered to try to terraform it so that a more populous people could use the territory, but during the Great Collapse, resources were stretched thin. In addition—the Yamalans were already living there, and the Elosahr Naalor intended that some of Samsara's natural territory be undisturbed. Yamalus is, therefore, essentially free parking for the humans that moved to Samsara who needed a place to establish a home, but didn't like their options in the Fallout or the South and didn't mesh with any other nation.
Although it's unclear when the Yamalans arrived at these mountains on Samsara, they are genetically related to the Hrytulreans. But they are much larger and brutish than their Hrytulrean ancestors.
The mountain people of Yamalus are the largest humans on Samsara. They lived on the planet before the Great Collapse, and only in the Yamalus mountains. Little is known about them or their habits, but occasionally there will be a sighting. The Yamalans are not particularly smart, but their sheer size and power seems to have given them what they needed to survive Samsara's harsh wildlife.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
Yamalus spans a mountain range, including the tallest mountain on Samsara, and many other notably large mountains. The Yamalans have no economic or political structure—they live off the land in family units.
Military and Diplomacy
The Yamalans are too few and too decentralized to have relations with nearby nations, or to have a centralized military. But there are stories of single Yamalans defending their homes from entire platoons of Berleklian soldiers.
Wildlife
The bighorn sheep and the Yamalan ibex are two creatures you'd better hope never to encounter. Like most Yamalan wildlife, these two species are incredibly territorial and aggressive. So just imagine what their natural predators are like—the wolves, bears, searcats, and leviathan eagles. And of the prey, the musk ox and yaks are pretty intense as well.
As for plant life—it's all native to Samsara. Aspens, firs, evergreens, pines, and spruces cover much of the mountainsides, but there are fair bits of bare rock exposed to the world as well.
History
Is it not clear when the Yamalan people arrived on Samsara, but they never seemed to stray too far from their mountain. There are rumors that they once existed on Samsara in greater numbers and built many of Samsara's ancient castles, but no scholar knows for sure.
Heesian Civilizations
The Heesian civilizations can all trace their lineage to the ancient civilization of Heesus, a technologically advanced but somewhat isolated world that virtually disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Hessian cultures are quite distinct from those of the other classes. The Heesian civilizations are Aqallabah, Harafa, Hysus, and Seejeesa.
Aqallabah
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
At the center of Aqallabahn society is its religion: Auroraic. But they take a less mystical approach and they weave in the ancient desert religions and cultures of their home planet. Simple traditions such as the drinking of coffee and meditating in the desert, therefore, have become closely connected to their religion.
The olive-skinned, life-loving people seem to have also found a second pillar to hold up their society since coming to Samsara: money. In the Old World, their ability to mine and refine rare earth minerals gave them access to a mineral-rich section of Samsara, which they have fully exploited. These rare minerals are essential to advanced forms of energy production, and the lifestyles the Aqallabahns have derived from this wealth have engendered in them an apparent love for opulence.
The Aqallabahns, though, appear to have taken some of the ancient Hessian traditions in a different direction. While in Hysus women run society, in Aqallabah they are quite domestic, and in fact, wear long flowing, white robes that cover their skin. Then men wear similar robes, but their clean-shaven faces are left exposed. Only the royals can grow beards in Aqallabah.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
The sandy Aqallabahn desert sits on top of a massive deposit of rare minerals used in energy production. The entire Aqallabahn economy is based on the mining and export of these minerals. The wealth-obsessed Aqallabahns use the Kratians to excavate the minerals, as they refuse to descend into the mines themselves. Much mineral wealth lives in the country's west, under its mammoth sand dunes.
Aqallabah is a kingdom, and the incredibly rich royal family runs the country. But this is a religious monarchy, and the tenets of Auroraic philosophy dictate many political practices, though the interpretation of this religion is mixed in with Aqallabahn beliefs and traditions.
Military and Diplomacy
The Aqallabahns do not have a strong military but they also have few enemies—they don't discriminate when it comes to customers. But these trade relationships also give them strong relationships with nations around the region and left them relatively unscathed during the Triton Wars. They do, however, seem to play games in the capital markets with the Se Lancians, forming something of a rivalry that at times can become more.
Wildlife
Animals are scarce in most of Aqallabah, but the caracal, oryx, desert leopard, ibex, gazelle, and giraffe can be found among the animals in the desert, specifically to the north where few Aqallabahns have settled, and where the grass is literally greener. Some of the other plants are asak, flava, acai trees, myrrh, and the famous desert coral—sprawling networks of connected cacti formations that resemble ocean coral.
History
The Aqallabahns have always lived on resource-rich lands, and in the Old World, they traded many of the same minerals they trade on Samsara. Its home planet was occupied by the Dark Armies, and then again by the Entente of Exiles in Cosmic War One and Cosmic War Two.
After the wars, the society was able to regain its strength and redevelop its infrastructure. But of course the Great Collapse had something to say about that. Fortunately for Aqallabah, however, the civilization had developed its space-faring technology and vehicles enough to transport itself to Samsara, and even help some of the other poorer nations.
Harafa
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Harafa was recently invaded by the Savarians, but most of the nation is still under occupation. Although many Harafan males were killed in the initial invasion, the Harafan way of life is still very much alive.
The Harafans are a dignified people. Although their land doesn't have much to offer most other civilizations, their proud of their heritage and traditions, and how they've made use of the territory they've been allotted on Samsara, territory much like the land of their home planet.
The Harafans are the same size and build as Nunonites but are darker and have pointy ears. Men wear their black hair in braids, and women let it flow. Neither men nor women cut their hair ever in their lives, a tradition they share with the Hysians. And like the Hysians, the women adorn their bodies with whatever jewelry they can afford, and both genders wear long, flowing clothes. But like many things in Harafa, their clothes are brown.
These impoverished people live in mud huts and have little access to modern technology, for they have little to trade. They had the Hysians to thank for delivering them from their home planet to Samsara when it was their turn.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
There isn't much special about the geography of Harafa except perhaps the dirt itself. It is a special kind of dirt that had to be brought over from Harafa—an expensive task, but the Hysians had enough ships to help. Their mud is edible, under extreme circumstances, to the Harafan boar, and the boar's excrements decays back into this mud. Energy is lost in this process, of course, but the process is good for the plant life. The mud is also extremely useful for a whole host of daily activities, and even has medicinal properties when mixed with certain herbs and put over a flame.
The Harafans mainly trade with each other and have little to export but products made from their famous Harafan mud. They, therefore, have an extremely limited economy. But since the Great Cosmic Wars, it had always been that way.
Military and Diplomacy
The Harafans have a cultural relationship with Hysus, but don't have enough centralization to develop connections with anyone else. Occasionally, though, promising young Harafans go to study in another country, often the Forlands, helping the world understand this strange culture and its people, and them understand the world.
As for military power, the tribes sometimes fight with one another, but they don't typically combine forces to defend themselves from foreign enemies—not ideal when sitting next to Savaria. Many of their weapons are handmade, but they have managed to get their hands on some guns. Some tribes even ride elephant boars into battle, though such animals are difficult to control.
When Savaria invaded, it swept through the nation pretty quickly, killing many of the men. But the Savarians haven't had enough time to completely destroy the Harafans yet.
Wildlife
Rife in Harafa are moles, shrews, Harafan thylacines, mud antelopes, and boars of many kinds. In fact, much of Harafan society is centered around the many uses of these boars, which the Harafans harvest for much more than their meat. And as far as plants go, cacti, yuccas, bushes of many kinds, aloe plants, small patches of various long grasses, and the rahafus tree can be found through the nation.
History
Harafa probably began as a Hysian colony, but whatever it grew into was wiped out during the Great Cosmic Wars. Ever since, its people have lived simple lives on the mud-ridden planet to which few travelers ever want to go. After the Hysians transported much of their allotment to Samsara, they sent their ships to Harafa to bring its mud, and plant, animal, and human life to Samsara.
Hysus
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
Hysus has a deep and rich culture which few outside it understand or even know of. It is a female-run society, where males are the laborers and women raise the children and make most of the decisions.
Females live in groups of nine called Sekharems and spend their whole adult lives together. Once they join a Sekharem, they are part of it for life. They never cut their hair, and they wear it in long thin braids. To tangle things up, the women of the Sekharems tie the ends of these braids together, ensuring that they'll never leave their Sekharem. It is an ancient practice they've learned from the Heesians, but it seems to have come with various advantages for the females in the society. It is extremely difficult for a man to court a woman, because he must be approved by the entire Sekharem. And once a child is born, the Sekharem raises it, without much help from the man but to provide it resources.
The existence of these Sekharems has given women somewhat of royalty status in Hysus. They run the government, make the big decisions, educate the children, etc. There are more details to how this all works, of course, but little of the world knows them.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
Hysus is the land of rivers and desert. And the mammoth sand dunes sit to its east. The nation lives in a hot and dry climatic zone, which, as a result of the Galene wind tunnel blowing in hot, dry air, did not need much alteration when the forcefield was being constructed.
Little is known about the economy of Hysus, but the Hysians appear not to be interested in many of the conveniences of modern life that much of the rest of the world enjoys. This, however, does not mean they are poor. In fact, most Hysians wear gold jewelry, and gold and art seem to be abundant throughout the kingdom, say the few who've visited.
Politically, the nation lives under the rule of a supreme leader, a queen. They call her the Sekhara. Everything in Hysus runs up to and through the Hysian royal family, who have complete dominion over everything within Hysian borders.
Military and Diplomacy
Hysus does not interact with the rest of the world, so no one is quite sure what military units they have, or how many. They did not participate in the Triton Wars. And no one enters the country.
It is known that they do have an air force, because anyone flying into the country is abruptly shot down. This air force seems to be comprised of silver, reflective jets with no apparent propulsion mechanisms.
Wildlife
Little is known of the wildlife in Hysus, too, for it has remained so isolated since it made a home on Samsara. But on its inventory when coming to the planet were mostly desert plants and animals, and plants and animals that live alongside rivers. Unique to it are the golden-mained lions, and the safarafs—large giraffe-like animals which can be domesticated and mounted.
History
Hysian history is intentionally kept a mystery, but the nation did participate in Cosmic War Two, siding with the Western Kingdom. During interactions with this kingdom, the Nunonites noted their strange metallurgy and computing technologies.
It is also known that Hysus' home planet is the same planet of its ancestor civilizations—Heesus. No one knows what happened to the Hessians or why they died out, but their Hysian descendants repopulated and rebuilt the planet.
When coming to Samsara, the Hysians were careful to remain a mystery to the other civilizations in the known universe.
Seejeesa
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
The Seejeesans are tall and have sand-toned skin, and have a number of Nrinian features, despite missing the DNA distinguishing the Nri. They're elitist attitudes resemble those of Se Lance, and their distinct coldness of character has an Enochian tone. They typically live in high-modernist cities.
The Seejeesans are naturally skinny and don't have much time or patience for exercise, but they do gather outdoors for high-class activities like sand golf and kro. Many non-Seejeesans live in Seejeesa, most notably Savarians, Aqallabahns, Vahlans, and Berleklians.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
Seejeesa is often called the bridge between Savaria and the Fallout. Although doing dealings with the warlords of the Fallout is highly frowned upon almost universally, Seejeesa seems to get away with it without much international pushback.
The pushback does come, however, from the Fallout itself. Seejeesa has a number of hidden mountain paths that connect it to the Fallout and the strange, unknown societies living there, and although these paths bring in significant wealth, they also bring in a handful of problems, including terrorist activity.
Besides its dealings in and with the Fallout, the biggest industries in Seejeesa are financial services and trade logistics. And politically, the nation is technically a democracy, but it comes to no surprise to the nations of Samsara that it is truly run by various financial interests, and of course, these interests are deeply influenced by the governments of Savaria and Vahl.
Military and Diplomacy
Seejeesa maintains a nominal military force, but realistically only enough to deal with a small group of insurgents. The nation relies almost entirely on Savaria to protect it from other nations, and from the Fallout warlords that regularly test their luck.
Large but unknown numbers of Savarian, Vahlan, and Berleklian special forces units train at the many military bases in the mountains just south of Seejeesa, technically on Seejeesa's land. They are essentially keeping the Fallout warlords at bay, stopping them from using the infrastructure connecting it to Seejeesa to launch an assault. These special forces also conduct operations within the Fallout and facilitate Seejeesa's dealings within.
Wildlife
Seejeesa, in worlds old and new, eradicated most of its animal population, and they import most of their food. They do, however, keep some domesticated species of beasts as pets, including cheetahs, caracals, ektos, and searcats.
History
Seejeesa has always been a merchant nation. It was established sometime before the Great Cosmic Wars, and during them, took the side of the Dark Armies, and then the Entente of Exiles, where it conducted financial services for the militaries on its side. During Cosmic War Two, the nation of Seejeesa was nearly destroyed when the Western Kingdom finally rid the known universe of the Entente of Exiles.
The nation never fully bounced back until it came to Samsara. The Seejeesans had a difficult time getting there given the fact that they worked with the Entente of Exiles. But the Senecians remained true to their word and helped every known civilization of intelligent beings transport their allotment to Samsara, no matter the history.
On Samsara, the Seejeesans seemed to once again find their niche, and during the Triton Wars, when everyone else's societies were crumbling, somehow the Seejeesans found a way to build a rich and modern nation.
Other Civilizations
Countless civilizations of other or unknown lineage had found their way to Samsara before the Great Collapse destroyed their home worlds. It is unknown whether humans come from one or many origins in the universes, via convergent evolution or an ancient ancestor long forgotten, but in either case, the distinct cultures and DNA strands that characterize the Vella'i, Nunonites, Shimei, Nrinian, and Hessian peoples are not present in the below civilizations. There are many more than are included here.
Basswa
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
The Basswans are dark in skin tone and hold deep, spiritual beliefs, often described as plant, animal, and ancestor worship. Some say these beliefs, although thousands of years distant from their mother Basswea, still carry the essence of the mother religion, Basswassa.
On Samsara, Basswans live much like they once did on their home planet of Basswa. Despite their increased access to the modern technology of their neighbors, most Basswans are pleased with their modest way of life, as well as weary of modern devices and politics. And rightly so. The Triton War incursions into Basswa left deep wounds in the minds and hearts of many Basswans and engendered
an eastern orientation among their leaders.
Geography, Politics, and Economy
Basswa is a wet desert, or something like a Savannah. Its plant species are such that they soak vast volumes of water, but they are relatively spread out.
The economy in Basswa is somewhat hand to mouth, as many Basswans are hunter-gatherers. Others do some modest farming, but what all Basswans share is that they live off the land. Their tribal political systems reflect the nature of their economy.
Military and Diplomacy
The Basswans have no formal military, but they have a strange drive to come together in the face of adversity. Although Basswan spear-wielding warriors often go to war with fellow Basswan tribes in the country, when faced with an external threat, they join forces.
The Basswans really have no way to defeat an air force, or even a tank, but during the Triton Wars, Basswan warriors, angry over Vahl Coalition incursions into their territory, joined the ranks of the Global Liberation Initiative, adding a sharp edge in close combat.
Wildlife
Basswa is blessed with incredible plant and animal diversity, and populations of extreme numbers. Herds of certain herbivore species often number in the millions. Most of the large mammalian species can find a version of itself in the Basswan plains, but unique to Basswa are the urunkas, the great horned quays, and the floating lake gypsies.
History
Basswans are the descendants of a sprawling, technologically advanced civilization known as Basswea. Basswea, however, was destroyed many thousands of years earlier by a gamma-ray burst, it appears, and Basswa was its only off-planet colony to survive. Without the steady stream of resources coming from mother Basswea, the colony quickly decayed into the primal baseline of human sustenance across the universe. Fortunately for the Basswans, though, their colonial planet was rich with abundant natural flora and fauna, nurturing the growth of hunter-gatherer and agrarian societies, which eventually blossomed across the surface of the planet.
Basswa was occupied by the Entente of Exiles during CWII, but otherwise had little interaction with the rest of the civilizations of the universe until the Senecians came down to bring them to Samsara.
Drrundornavorda
Ethnicity, Culture, and Demographics
The Drrundornavordans are the farmers and builders of castles. They do both well, and almost exclusively. They are tall, broad-shouldered, and have rhino-like skin. They live in the mountains, typically closer to the peaks, and don't mind extreme heat or cold. They don't really die natural deaths, although they do become less mobile overtime. There are rumors of Drrundornavordans living in distant mountains who were alive in the Old World. But lifespans are generally not too long on average—they like to fight.
Almost everyone living in Drrundornavorda is a Drrundornavordan. There isn't much to do except farm and build castles, so the lifestyle doesn't have much of a pull. The Drrundornavordans themselves are also not very talkative, and don't really seem interested in global politics or other cultures.
Geography, Economy, and Politics
The semi-bare mountains of Drrundornavorda are mostly gray and covered in rocks. And aside from the farming activity in the nation, and the blacksmithing to create weapons and armor, there is not much of an economy.
As for politics in the nation, Drrundornavordans don't really create formal political systems. They organize communities around their castles, which usually sit at mountain peaks or are so big they run between peaks. Drrundornavordans don't really care for much besides the activities of farming and castle building, so there is no need for incentives to do either. Their societies seem to just work.
Military and Diplomacy
The soldiers of the Drrundornavordans tend to be the castle builders more than the farmers. They are called Vadrada. They wear bulky, steel armor and carry steel axes and bludgeons. In times where the population gets high, castles often go to war with each other, and the Vadrada suit up and fight.
Drrundornavordans tend to side with the Eastern Alliance when they're forced to address global issues. This is because during the Triton Wars, the Vahl Coalition and its allies invaded their mountains—they didn't very much like this.
Wildlife
Drrundornavorda is home to only few species of plants and animals, but common among them is their size. Large, dog-sized rodents sometimes find their way into the granaries, and a few other large prey species roam the mountainside, including the Drrundorian Mountain Goat—a goat you wouldn't want to mess with and that can put up a fight against native Samsaran predators. But at the bottom of the mountains are creatures the Drrundornavordans call "the giant things." Few outside of the nation know what these are, or if they really exist.
History
Drrundornavordan history is a true mystery. No one knows when the civilization began, but it appeared to have existed during the Great Cosmic Wars, though no one took much interest in them. Some theorize that they share a common ancestor with the Hyrtulreans, but their genetics don't seem to show a connection. It wasn't until the Senecians came down to bring the Drrundornavordans to Samsara that they were forced to really interact with other civilizations. But the Drrundornavordans can be quite stubborn. Unlike many other civilizations, where the issue was deciding who and what got to get on the ships, the issue for the Drrundornavordans was actually getting them on.
The South
The South is somewhat of an enigma, but nothing that rises to the level of the Fallout. Nations of the world do interact with the people of the South, and even trade with them. But there is no formal governing structure to this strange block of land.
When allocating territory to the civilizations of Samsara, the Elosahr Naalor ran into the problem of where to put the countless, small colonies without strong ties to any other civilization. Usually, there was a link enough that they could be considered part of a known civilization, but when that wasn't possible, they were given a spot in "the South," somewhat of a free parking lot on Samsara.
As a result, there are many species of humans and even intelligent non-human species living there, and countless plant and animal species.
