For many centuries, ever since we first gazed up into the sky, Humanity has thought that we were alone in the universe, we were wrong. Humanity really first took to the stars nearly 5 centuries ago, 493 years to be exact, in the year 2183, when we sent out our first ships capable of interstellar travel. We would learn much about the Milky Way and we would spread, now that we had found suitable hunting grounds and new wondrous world. Our expansion would stop in 2333, when we would meet our first alien race, the first, but not the last.
Our encounter with the Nah’ni, a mysterious Insectoid race, would leave us changed, not just due to the revelation that we were not alone. The Nah’ni were and still are a peaceful species, they were rather kind and open, even towards outsiders. This openness led certain members within the United Nations of Earth to think they were weak and easy for pickings. They attacked the Nah’ni Imperium and were rebuffed with ease, minimal casualties on either side. The effects of that decision, to attack the Nah’ni, would change humanity forever.
The decision to attack the only species other than our own that was capable of space travel that we had met, was met with displeasure, especially with how it ended. The different ideological groups would fight, fight for many years, and then two distinct groups would be formed, the Martian Union and the Terran Confederacy. Since the great split between Humanity, we have discovered many other species and spacefaring nations, and we have also gotten into many wars and conflicts.
150 years ago a neutral zone was established to discuss political matters peacefully. That neutral zone is Omega Station; it is located in a solar system that lays perfectly center where the borders of all the nations belonging to the major powers intersect. It is considered a nation and sovereignty in its own right mostly separate from the rules and prejudices of the other nations. The Station itself is an ancient construct, the remnants of a nearly extinct race whose empire is only mentioned in legends, even in the records of some of the oldest races and nations.
Since it was made the capital of the neutral zone, and formally named, it has always been run by an Administrator, to ensure it runs well and remains peaceful. The First Administrator was simply known as the Caretaker, he was the only living being on the Station, when it was first discovered, long ago. Since then the Administrator has been elected and chosen by a council formed from the major powers. Though every Administrator is an accomplished and decorated being, they are more often than not those who have fallen from grace or such with those in power in their nation. It has been around a century and a half since this was put into practice and a new Administrator, the 15th, is about to take command of the Station.
Resources and LoreThe year is 2676 and peace reigns, for the most part, within the Milky Way. Humanity first truly took to the stars in 2183, on October the 13th, a Friday, prior to this date they were bound to the one solar system, Earth’s system. In 2183 Humanity sent out its first exploratory fleets, and from there it only spread. We discovered many worlds and phenomena, some of which had only been theoretical until they were found.
This continued for decades, centuries even, but every expansion has to stop. Humanities expansion stopped, when they discovered, that they were truly not alone, not the only sapient technologically advanced race within the vast confines of space. The first space faring nation humanity encountered was the Nah’ni imperium, a race of beings whose had gained biological adaptations that served the same purpose of nearly any technological equivalent. That was in 2333 exactly 150 years since humanity took to the stars.
They were a kindhearted race, mysterious, yet open to outsiders. The Nah’ni had untapped resources on their Hive Worlds, this drew the greed and attention of those in power. Humanity, came into conflict with the Imperium, who were able to fend them off with ease. The way the United Nations of Earth went about this, caused changes, within the nations of the Milky way and humanity itself. The UNE split, earth had long since been abandoned, it was bereft of civilian populations, mostly, serving as a vacation spot and research center for humanity.
Humanity fought with itself for many years, the fighting ended in 2400, and two nations now existed where a single semi-united humanity once was. The Martian Union took over earths home system and established a capital on Mars. They were the embodiment of humanities desire for conquest and advancement. The other nation was the Terran Confederacy, they took many of the border worlds and embody humanities industriousness and reliability and most of all their ability to change.
Though it took a while for the nations of man to recover, nearly a century they did, the Terran Confederacy forged relationships with the Nah’ni and other species and nations that would be discovered. The Martian union would do the opposite, practically shunning connections with the other races and space nations. This attitude would eventually lead them to war, along with most of the Milky Way.
The Union came into conflict with the members of the Ihbb republic, and they in turn started to terminate their trade relationship with the Terran Confederacy and other nations, this forced the other nations to become tense, eventually coming into conflict as well. Each of the nations were not at war with one another exactly, but neither were they friendly, eventually after several decades of war and conflict it ended. In the years afterwards, a neutral zone was developed and accords were put into practice.
That neutral zone is Omega Station; it is located in a solar system that lays perfectly center where the borders of all the nations belonging to the major powers intersect. It is considered a nation and sovereignty in its own right mostly separate from the rules and prejudices of the other nations. The Station itself is an ancient construct, the remnants of a nearly extinct race whose empire is only mentioned in legends, even in the records of some of the oldest races and nations.
Since it was made the capital of the neutral zone, and formally named, it has always been run by an Administrator, to ensure it runs well and remains peaceful. The First Administrator was simply known as the Caretaker, he was the only living being on the Station, when it was first found, well over 5 millennia ago. He ran the station peacefully for many decades, before disappearing nearly a century ago, without a trace.
Since then the Administrator has been elected and chosen by a council formed from the major powers. Though every Administrator is an accomplished and decorated being, they are more often than not those who have fallen from grace or such with those in power in their nation. It has been around a century and a half since this was put into practice and a new Administrator, the 12th, is about to take command of the Station.On Technology and the Merchandise of the various Nations
Generally speaking technology in the year 2675 is much more advanced than it is now. Directed energy weapons are a thing, as are personal forcefields, ultralight ultra-strong composite armors and most things in between from androids to limited matter synthesis. The technology each nation and race/species holds is not exactly equal. Just as each nation has different and varying peoples, the technology each holds is different, yet similar.
Martian Union:The Martian Union is a militaristic expansionist nation, and their technology reflects that, they favor energy weapons with a fair spattering of ballistic and kinetics thrown in, their engines and sensors, of all types are generally more effective and efficient than their counterparts in other nations. They have power suits, which hook into their energy weapons making them more efficient and also generating a field of energy that protects them from ballistics and physical harm.
These power suits range from the smaller lighter Power Armor which simply enhances their wearers physical attributes to the Battle Suits, which are large bulky things used solely in combat, for the most part. Most of their techs, from the Power Armor to their battle tanks, serve very specific rigid purposes, but there is such a variety of it that they do not need to be varied in use individually.
Terran Confederacy: The Terran Confederacy has simple reliable gear, which is easily replaced and customizable. They favor ballistic and kinetic weaponry, and their ships are efficient and some can even operate with a minimal crew and half the ship missing, though that is a rarity. Most Terran items are lightweight yet exceedingly sturdy, from clothes weaved from Nah’ni silk to the base Combat Armor which allows for the composite plates to be replaced and removed to be fully tailored to any situation, this has made it favored by private security forces.
Just as the armor can be customized with a reliable product as its base, their other military tech is roughly the same. Their tanks and vehicles all have a single reliable customizable base, and the same can be said for their fire arms. The basic pistol for the Terran Armed Forces allows nearly any part within its design to be tweaked or replaced to improve the base performance and to increase their effectiveness in one aspect or another. Their energy weapons work on a similar principle, but they are rarely used in large quantities as their ballistic weaponry is more streamlined and favored.
Nah’ni imperium: Though the Nah’ni Imperium does not possess technology as many recognize it, but they do have many products that are used or sought after by the more conventional races. Nah’ni pheromones are highly sought after, ranging from the ‘Medical’ Pheromones, which are used as ingredients in high quality medicines from sedatives and analgesics, to far more illegal medical supplements.
Other highly sought after Nah’ni products include armor and weapons made from the exoskeletons/carapaces of fallen Nah’ni, mostly legally obtained, though they are often used in illegal ventures to bypass scanners that detect elements present in conventional armor and weapons. Some Nah'ni are capable of producing extremely strong extremely light silk. This silk is sold raw to other Nations, most notably used by the Terran confederacy for their armor and bullet-resistant casual wear. Though they sell it to other nations, the Nah'ni do use the silk for certain things.
Though they do not have conventional technology, or produce t rather, it does exist. During the Nah'ni Dark ages, a Vizier, whose name has been struck from history, used technology and changed the NAh'ni, making them warlike, and their technology during the time was no different. These rare pieces of Nah'ni Dark Age Tech, are highly sought after by collectors, but possessing a piece is frowned upon by the Nah'ni.
Thangar Consortium: all Thangar products are exquisitely and artistically crafted, and even their effects are beautiful in a way. The Thangar, do not have ugly drugs, exactly, like Meth and Crack from Old Earth, no ‘drugs’ of the Consortium will leave the user disfigured or scarred, but they are even more dangerous for it to those of weak body and mind. All consumable products made are strong with lingering effects, when taken in moderation, they are harmless.
Most Thangar weapons and armor are astonishingly heavy, much too heavy for normal races, but despite that, they are highly sought after. Wealthy collectors will seek Thangar constructs, simply for how they look, even if most of their armor is too small and their weapons too heavy, they are beautiful nonetheless. Aside from that, many of their products are works of art, paintings, sculptures, and other similar things, some wealthy citizens of certain Nations and sovereignties will go to great lengths to acquire either the works of art or the artist themselves.
Ihbb Republic: Primarily, the Ihbb republic deals in Augments, both genetic and cybernetic, things that will make you stronger, but they are not for the weak of body. If you undergo a treatment with a weak body, you could die, but that is one of the lesser effects. Other products they deal in are stimulants, they are not exactly illegal drugs, but might as well be, to weaker races. Most Ihbb food and drink are laced with stimulants such as caffeine, Ephedrine, and other stimulants.
Since coming into contact with humanity, they have taken coffee and other natural sources of stimulants and improved them, making them stronger and more effective on the Ihbb. Iseth, also known as Ihbb Coffee, is a popular drink for avid coffee enthusiasts and others have taken the drink and made many varieties of it increasing its fame. Out of all the Major Powers, they are the ones who possess the most Draug'n tech, and most of their technology is based from things left behind by the Progenitors.
Confederacy of Independent Systems: The CIS, has no absolutely unique products, but it still holds a wide variety of products due to the many cultures that make up its membership. The drink known as Ihbb Coffee was changed not by humans but by a race from the CIS, the Weseh, a species of feline humanoids that are rarely seen. They were the first to experiment with Ihbb and human Coffee, improving and changing them in ways no one had done before.
Draug'n Ascendancy: Aside from Omega Station and Draug'n tech used by the Ihbb, Technology and items created by the Draug'n are extremely rare to find. The few examples of tech and products that have been found are extremely advanced, one prime example is the Security Chief of Omega Station. He is for all intents and purposes an artificial life form, he is made up of Nano-machines, that possess sentience. He can take nearly any form, as long as certain conditions are met, unlike NAno machines used by the Ihbb and the Martian Union, which ultimately are used to improve and heal one's body, his nano machines are unique. They can consume nearly any matter, and can even absorb and change one form of energy into another, they can replicate the fell and look of skin perfectly, luckily, he is a peaceful being, most of the time.humanity, is a widespread species, found within the ranks of other Factions and Nation’s, not just the Terran Confederacy and the Martian Union. Humans despite all have similar appearances, are rather diverse, they all have 4 limbs, two arms, two legs, and have the same amount of other appendages typically. Humans range from 4 foot 10 to over 6 feet in height, but there are extreme outliers, skin color varies as do eye and hair color. Just as their appearances are diverse, so are their personalities and temperaments.
Martian Union: The Martian Union is the Human Nation that clings what humanity was the most. They are the more technologically advanced of the two human nations, having cybernetics, energy weapons, personal force-shields, and even power armor and battle suits. They have very few non-human citizens and those that do live within its borders are either very wealthy or poor and heavily discriminated against, due to bad past experiences.
They have a limited amount of planets with mines and resources, due to the split that formed the Martian Union and the Terran Confederacy. Due to this they have been forced to adapt, instead of forming trade agreements with other races and nations, they have instead developed rather efficient collection, refinement and replication systems for what resources they do have. This efficiency lends itself to all their commercial technology, which is usually decades behind their military tech, and even more so for their military technology.
Within the Union, It is a show of status to have relics from Old Earth, these relics can range from old programs or the rare surviving CD or DVD all the way to the rare printed book, as most are digital. Earth has long since been abandoned by civility and civilization, its relatively few inhabitants are able to eke out a primitive life, a lucky few can find unique relics and acquire a place beyond Old Earth, within the Union, though they are servants more often than not, such a life is still better. Occasionally treasure hunting teams will go to Old Earth and look for relics to sell to collectors both in the Union and the members of the other Nations that have taken an interest in old Earth antiquities.
Terran Confederacy: The Terran Confederacy is predominantly human, but it enjoys good relations with the majority of the major powers and their races. Despite this it is still at odds with them, in a friendly competitive way. They have done much to repair the tarred image the Union left in the minds of so many. Nearly every product made by or from the Confederacy is reliable and made to be able to be adapted to nearly any situation or just has a rather wide variety of the product that it serves the dame purpose.
The Confederacy is essentially a republic, each of the worlds and inhabitants under their banner has a say in what happens and how things are done. Many of the planets and systems within the Confederacy are resource and mineral rich. The Terran capital is Terra, formerly known as New Earth, and Terrastan, or land of the Terrans. They changed the name of the capital world after the Union started conflicts with races they were allied with, or at least friendly with.
While in the Union, Relics of Old Earth are sought after and seen as a sign of status, they are not the same in the Terran Confederacy. The Confederacy holds fewer Relics than the Union, this is mostly due to the distance between Terra and Mars. Most Relics are stored in museums on Terra in the Capital, Terra Prime. They are not seens as things to be revered, but rather part of what caused the split between Humanity, our decadence and life of ease.The Nah'ni: The Nah'ni are a surprisingly simple yet complex species of Arthropoids, though they favor insects most of all. They are divided into Castes, from Workers to the Nobility, each Caste is different and literally made for their roles. The members of some Castes are large some are smaller, but they are each unique. Workers work, Soldiers fight and the Nobility Rule, though things are far from that simple. Each Hive of the Nah'ni is ruled by a Queen, with the High Queen ruling them all. The Nah'ni, do not have conventional ships or technology, rather everything is a biological adaptation, from selective evolution or a completely organic construct, like the Ships.
Life span of the Castes
(The numbers are the max recorded age range, on average, and do not include the formative years)
Nobility: Most of the Nobility Caste have the same life spans of Workers, with exceptions. The High Queen can live for up to 1500 years or, Dowagers are similar, while normal Queens only live to be around 700-850 years on average.
Vizier: 1200 years
Crafter: 475 – 650 years
Soldier: 125-150 years
Worker: 165 – 210 years
Caste Division:
The Hierarchy of the Nah’ni is not too dissimilar from that of mundane insects. Though there are obvious differences. This just lists the general overview of the Nah’ni Caste system, and more variants of each Caste member might exist, this just lists just the major ones, additionally, aside from the specific functions of the different Castes, nearly every Nah’ni has certain abilities and characteristics, for example, all Nah’ni have an inherent weakness to both fire and parasite, and all molt atleast once or twice in their lifetimes. A general rule of thumb is the more intelligent a Caste, the more humanoid they are, this is especially true for the Viziers and Nobility.
The highest Caste, is the Nobility Caste, this includes the Queen, once one becomes a/the Queen, they will change, be promoted in a sense. The Nobility Caste can include members of the Queens family as well as their Consort, though that is not always the case. In the Rare cases that the previous Queen survives after they take a role not dissimilar to that of the Vizier Caste, though the term Dowager is used for them. Members of the Nobility Caste, most commonly Queens can be rather long lived; the First Queen herself lived for several centuries.
Those born into the Nobility Caste, are generally smarter, and pick things up easier than most other Nah’ni young. Depedning upon whether both of their parents were of the Nobility Caste, or of others as well, certain young can be more predisposed towards certain actions or acquisition of certain knowledge. The Nobility Caste, as well as the Vizier Caste, are the only Nah’ni that have any sort of Psionic potential.
The next highest Caste, is the Vizier Caste, they are among the most intelligent Nah’ni. They generally have a humanoid appearance, looking more man than insect, though their appearance depends upon the environment they were grown in. Aside from the enhanced intelligence, they also possess extremely advanced senses and pheromones. While they cannot generally read minds in the truest sense, they can infer what others are feeling due to the chemicals and such released as well as any minute twitches or the like. They are used by the Queens as advisors, as well as diplomats to other races.
During periods of War, they are also used as commanders and tacticians, to make use of their inherent traits. During particularly desperate periods in Nah’ni history Viziers have also been grown as assassins, to silence the enemies of the Hive is needed. To this end, most Viziers are stronger and faster than normal Worker, but they lack the durability of the larger soldiers. They are the only other Caste that can live as long as the Queen. Viziers also act as the historians of the Hive, recording information from Dowagers and the past to be used by the next generation of the Hive. In the rare instances that a member is born into the Vizier Caste, rather than simply of it, the offspring is always male.
Below them are the members of Crafter Caste, they are not just craftsman in the traditional meaning of the word, as many are responsible for creating things. They are also responsible for the changes that happen to each subsequent generation of Nah’ni. Those who improve the Soldiers and the other beings used in war are called the Warcrafters. Those that are responsible for the general changes are called the Broodmothers, though they do not truly birth the Nah’ni, they along with the Queen, are the ‘mothers’ of each subsequent generation. The changes they make, are not immediate, and might take a generation or three in order to become fully integrated into the Nah’ni as a whole or that particular Hive/Hive World.
Some changes might be localized to a specific Hive, the Sari Mountain Hive, for example has adapted to the extreme cold, and thus are hardier in such drastic temperatures compared to Nah’ni from more temperate climates, they have also adapted to the barren conditions, being more self-sufficient and not relying on hunting for food as much, though their pattern changes did aid their hunting in the region that they lived in. Other changes might be carried throughout the Swarm as a whole. Before the Soldier Caste came into being, the Workers were unable to defend themselves effectively.
Originally they had but one set of spindly arms and no wings, the First Queen birthed the first of those that would become the Crafters and they in turn changed the Workers. They were given thicker, stronger limbs and carapaces; some were given wings, while others gained scythes akin to those sported by Mantis’. That was when the Nah’ni first started to become what the First Queen wanted her people to be. Though the Soldier Caste would eventually take the spot as the ones to fight for and defend the Hives, the Workers would keep the changes, for defense and harvesting purposes.
Below them is the Soldier Caste, the defenders of the Swarm and those that would rend their enemies. When they originally lived in the Black hills, the Nah’ni had no real means of defending themselves; they relied on swarm tactics, overpowering their foes with the sheer amount of them and the weight of their bodies. After the First Queen created the First Hive and formed the Bond, the Nah’ni could no longer afford to just through themselves upon their enemies and hope their numbers prevailed. In order to defend the Hive, and protect the Queen that had made them more than what they once were, the Broodmothers created the Soldiers.
The First Soldiers, were originally Workers, that had proved skilled and exceptional in combat, they were reborn as Soldiers. They were made much larger and stronger than they once were which was already impressive for their size. They were given sharper scythes which would fold into a second set of limbs from their back. They were given much thicker carapaces to start, which would later be improved upon. Originally the Soldiers were even simpler than the Workers once were, they lived only to fight and protect, but subsequent generations would weed the undesirable traits out.
As the Nah’ni expanded, they took concepts from the other races they met and improved the Soldiers even more. Meeting armored soldiers for the first time, led to the creation of the Nah’ni’s own version. These members of the Soldier Caste would be called Knights, in the languages of the other races. They are generally large easily dwarfing the average normal Soldier, which is already double the size of most Workers. They lack the small set of wings for gliding and bursts speed that most other Soldiers have, in their place they possess massive scythe like blades which can fold out of a set of arms that sprout from their back.
Though Soldiers are more heavily ‘armored’ than most Nah’ni, the Knights take this a step further, they have a set of ‘armor’ that they wear. It is a secondary exoskeleton of sorts that can be removed, it is part of what gives them their massive size. They can only be stored in certain sections of the Hive, or else the armor will die. When ‘worn’ it connects to the Knight fully, through their pheromone vents. The ‘armor’ gives them increased durability, but it also allows them to launch globs of a sort of acidic bile. One component is a Pheromone most Soldiers can produce, the other is provided by the ‘armor’, they are then combined just before being expelled.
Though the Knights are astonishingly powerful, they have equally debilitating weaknesses. They are slow, much slower even than a normal Soldier, and they have obvious weak points. The areas where the ‘armor’ ‘links’ into the pheromone vents are discolored, which marks where they are. If enough of these spots are injured the Knight will be unable to move for a time. Another problem is the secondary exoskeleton, while providing an increase in certain areas also makes them ‘overheat’ rather easily, they rarely travel during the day and if they do, it is in the shade or underground.
There exist other variants of within the Soldier Caste, which are based off of weapons of war made by the other races. One variation is the Ram, its purpose is to tear down the structures in its path, it size is larger than that of the Knight, but they are just as slow, and are a rarity, mostly because the Nah’ni rarely war with those that have conventional cities and structures. A more common variant of the Solder Caste is the Scout, they were first developed shortly after the first Soldiers were, to combat the threat of flying creatures. They are the smallest member of the Soldier Caste as well as the fastest, though some would say they are also among the most dangerous.
They, like Workers are capable of actual Flight, rather than just short bursts of speed or gliding. This is not where their talents end however; they are also capable of jumping great heights, which can be further supplementing by the usage of their wings. Though smaller, they have ‘sharper’ scythes, and are more nimble allowing them to dispatch larger less agile foes easier. However their small size and fast speed means that they have less durability than most of the Soldier Caste, and even less than Workers do, despite this, they have a lower fatality rate than most other Soldiers, this is mostly due to the fact that they rarely are on the frontlines.
The lowest Caste of the Nah’ni and the one whose members are more commonly encountered are those of the Worker Caste, which is how they are referred to by members of the other races. They possess all the features and abilities most of Nah’ni have. These include but aren’t limited to a natural regen, a general resistance to bladed weapons along with a weakness to crushing and piercing ones, a thick natural chitinous ‘armor’, pheromones of varying types, great strength for their size, as well as a general difference, however slight, between the genders.
Though the Nah’ni as a whole have an impressive immune system, the Workers’ is even more impressive, they recover from most illnesses and such faster and injuries affect them less, generally. They have an astonishing stamina and endurance, this lets them work and go without food and water for extended periods of time, it exceeds even that of the Soldier, though Workers lack the durability and such they have. They, like all Nah’ni have enhanced senses, this allows them to track pheromone trails, but they also have more advanced eyesight compared to all Nah’ni but for the Vizier and Nobility Castes.
Two variants of the standard Worker include the Hunter and then the Gatherer. The Hunter leads groups of normal Workers to hunt animals to collect food. They also dress and prepare it for consumption, many Nah’ni eat their meat raw, even while it is living, but others also enjoy it cooked. The Gatherers are similar, but gather food without killing, they grow plants as well as cultivate a form of livestock animal that produces a thick viscous honey like substance that can be consumed, it tastes sweet and non-Nah’ni can find it addicting, as it provides a sort of fleeting tingling euphoria.
Workers, much like the Vizier and Nobility Castes are capable of the speech of other peoples, but theirs is much more heavily 'accented'. Workers have certain abilities inherent to them that assist in their endeavors. Nah’ni Workers can release jolts of electricity, that can stun prey, this is often coupled with their pheromones to capture people or while hunting. They absorb energy from the sun, which enables them to produce limited amounts which can then be released, in just as limited amounts. Female Workers also have a barbless sting and a mild venom that can cause great pain.
Since the Nah'ni took to the stars, one particular type of Nah'ni, a specialized variant of the Vizier caste, called the Captain, was created. They have a high psionic potential, but it is harnessed, they are the only ones, who can Bond, with the Nah'ni Ships. They are specially chosen among the Casteless Drones, ni their formative years,
One oddity, among the Castes, are the Ships, they are grown, by members of the Crafter Caste. They are large space capable constrcuts, that are surprisingly capable of Sapience and sentience. They bond with their partner, the Captain, and gain an insight into things such as emotions, feelings and such. That is not all the Bond provides however, it also lets the Captain, influence the Ship, to a small extent, controlling certain functions, this is helpful in stressful situations. The bond can affect the Ship and the Captain both, in negative ways, the Ship, can get attached to the crew of the ship, rather easily, this is one reasons why the Crews are rotated out to prevent the ship from getting overly attached. in the most recent Nah'ni Dark Age, many Ships were affected by the loss of their captain and crew and went on a rampage against all Nah'ni.
Appearances of the Castes
Nobility: The Nobility Caste, aside from the Queens, are similar in size and such to Workers, though are different in other way. They are generally more intelligent and cunning, and less dedicated than the Workers. Queens are typically much like the Broodmothers, but different, being more free in many ways. The High Queen, much like the Vizier are humanoid, and while they lack the shear armor the Soldiers do, they are much wiser, and among the only Nah'ni capable of magic.
Vizier: Viziers are humanoid, much like the High Queen, and members of the Nobility Caste, but are almost always male in build, gender and appearance. They have segmented chitin, that provides a bit more flexibility than that possessed by mos Soldiers.
Crafters: Aside from the Broodmothers, who are much larger, they appear rather similar in size to Workers. For the most part they have the same functions, though some are more specialized.
Soldiers: Soldiers are taller than Workers by around a foot, typically. Their exoskeleton's have edges that hang over, slightly covering where the joints and limbs protrude from. Though it depends upon the specific type of Soldier, they are generally among the largest of the Nah'ni, with some exceptions. Though it seems to be seamless, the Carpace of a typical Soldier, is not one solid piece. Unlike in actual insects the Abdomen for the Nah'ni is where the legs emerge from, on the back of that is a solid piece of chitinous exoskeleton, which can endure many blows. The thorax on a Nah'ni serves as the torso region, and the back is again a mostly solid piece of chitin, but where the thorax and abdomen meet there are several weaker but flexible bands of chitin to allow a certain amount of movement. This is not seen most of the time as the gap is obscured by the overhangs from the Chitinous back plates. Similar bands are around the joints to allow more freedom of movement, the only sign that they are different from the rest of the exoskeleton is that they are slightly lighter in color.
Workers: On average they seem to stand from around 4 feet to 5 and a half feet in height. In all actuality most stand at around 5 and a half, they just carry themselves lower. Males, mostly, have wings and scythes, while females also have wings, but no scythe arms, but they have barbless stings and a venom. Some Hives are different though, the Jungle Hive Workers are more spider like and females have spinnerets.
About the Nah’ni
Condensed History: Nah'ni, an insectoid and arthropoid race, divided into Castes, each with a specific purpose, info below App.
Nation History: the Nah'ni Imperium, is old, even they do not know how old they are, but they have existed, for many, many millennia, outliving much greater civilizations than their own. The Imperium started from humble roots on the First Hive World, they once lived in loose familial cells, scattered across their home world. That all changed when the First Queen was born, it was she who rallied the Nah'ni into the First Hive, and changed how they were through the Bond. The First Queen, Wove the Bond, and connected the Nah'ni, she did not make them mindless drones, she wasnted them to be subservient, but still able to think for themselves.
The First Queen ruled for many years, eventually becoming the High Queen as the Swarm spread, and more Hives popped up across their world. The Nah'ni advanced and developed under the guiding hand of the First Queen. The Castes developed as the Nah'ni evolved and certain members among them became more suited to certain tasks. There was peace and prosperity for a great deal of time, then the First Hive War began. The First Queen, for all her power and wisdom, was still a mortal being, susceptible to the ravages of time, so she died. For a brief time, her Daughter ruled, but many Queens thought she was too weak, so the First Hive War began. Millions upon millions of Nah'ni marched, fought and died, before the next High Queen was crowned.
The Nah'ni were visited by a spacefaring civilization, that sought the abundant resources of their world, resources the Nah'ni did not need due to their less than conventional technology. Due to how the Nah'ni lived, the civilization mistook the signs of the Nah'ni for wildlife, and even when they discovered the Nah'ni, they thought of them to be akin to primitive savages. The moment they enslaved the first Worker, they brought upon their doom, in response to the injustice to their members, the Swarm moved and flowed across the world like a living tsunami. From studying the civilizations tech, they were able to evolve further, this began the Nah'ni's journey to the stars.
Thus the Nah'ni spread, with their Ships, they left the technology of the civilization alone, though they would continue being harassed, the civilization fell, as did most foes of the Nah'ni. That technology, was left alone, though that would bring about the first of many dark times for the Nah'ni, their First Dark Age. A Vizier of the First Hive, discovered the tech, and sought to use it, he would orchestrate many deaths, not of enemies of the Swarm, that would have been normal, no he killed off Queens, and other Nah'ni that stood in his way. Though no male had ruled, that was more of a tradition, until that Vizier, whos name has been struck from history, took the crown and Usurped the Bond.
He used the Bond, to influence the Nah'ni more to his liking, they became more aggressive, more warlike. They flowed through space, consuming civilizations and adapting, but then a force rose up against the Usurper and his regime, a Dowager and a Vizier among the Hiveless, led those formerly of the First Hive against the Usurper. The conflict lasted many years, but it ended as the Hiveless Vizier fought and killed the Usurper in one on one combat. Those that willingly followed the Usurper were exiled to join the Hiveless in Penance for their sins. Time has passed, and the Nah'ni have gone through many High Queens, Hive Wars, and even a few Dark Ages, but they have remained. The Nah'ni have been quiet and reclusive for a long time, rarely leaving their space. They have been peaceful for many years, but as more and more civilizations take to the stars, who knows what the future holds for the Imperium.
General Info: The Nah’ni as a whole, are rather mellow and peaceful creatures, this translates into their culture heavily. The Nah’ni are very industrious and hardworking, though each Caste have their own things they are more suited for, many Nah’ni do certain things to pass the time. Some make crafts and what other races would consider art. During their long lifespans, compared to humans, Workers tend to pick up and master what others would consider a craft.
Though the general Hierarchy of the Hive is set in stone, certain things can elevate a member of a particular Caste beyond the norm. Those of the ‘lesser’ Castes, if they are able to reach an old age, can gain a certain amount of respect and Prestige. If a Worker lives to be old, this means they have served the Hive well, for a Soldier this means that they are a veteran of many battles and have seen and survived much combat. For Crafters it means that they have become true masters of their craft, for Viziers it means that they have served the Hive and the Queen, perhaps more than one of the latter. Age and mastery are not the only measures of a respected Nah’ni, but they are the most common ways that status is marked.
There is one particular ‘tradition’ that nearly every race that knows about the Nah’ni, knows of. This ‘tradition’ is the Hive Wars, which is a period of time after the High Queen has died, where the various Hive’s and their inhabitants fight for supremacy to see which Queen will become the next High Queen and take the Bond upon themselves. This does not always happen, as if an offspring of the High Queen is acceptable, they could become the next High Queen. During the Hive Wars, the Nah’ni become much more aggressive, towards one another and other races, they are sometimes marked by periods of expansion and conquest as well.
Not every Hive will participate in the Hive Wars, usually only Hives which have stood for many centuries will participate, there are exceptions though. During the 3rd Hive War, this was just after the Nah’ni started to really expand, several Smaller Hives and their Queens teamed up and eventually won. They would rule in a cycle, with each taking the position of High Queen for several decades. However, that was a rarity, those Queens were all Brood-Sisters so they held a bond greater than most Nah’ni. More often than not, the smaller hives stay out of the conflict.
The Nah’ni, do not have names, well not conventional ones, for the other languages at least. Due to the Nah’ni’s language, and the fact that most do not speak any other language but their own, the Names for Nah’ni outside their Hives are generic, and many are just referred to by their Caste as a Title of sorts. Sometimes Viziers or Queens may take a name from the history of other races that they like. Some Viziers have been able to translate other languages into Nah’ni, but due to the presence of mandibles and such many Nah’ni have, few could speak it without a heavy ‘accent’.
Nah’ni are born as larvae, an infants like stage, after this they change into their child form, which is essentially a smaller version of how a Worker looks. They will then molt a few times, for each major stage of their growing period. This all happens during a period of 10-15 years or so, and by the time they reach their final molting stage, most will have chosen their specialization, or had it chosen for them. One this period is over they are considered adults and they can then do their jobs and such, for the most part.
After an incident involving pirates and pillagers and the plundering of the Burial fields, a tradition began, that would evolve. After a new High Queen is Chosen, the previous members of the First Hive will leave. Many stay in the First Hive, but only those not oriented for combat. The Soldiers and any surviving Viziers leave the First Hive and head to the borders of Nah'ni space, they guard it, and serve as the first contact against any intruders. This is not always the case, the Hiveless sometimes just wander the galaxy, this is what most that do not stay in the First Hive, or go to guard the Border do. The Hiveless also do not answer to any Queen, but are still subject under the laws of a Hive, should they visit one.
Though typically the First Hive will be where the High Queen resides, this is not always the case. A previous High Queen that hailed from an ice planet could not deal well with other climates well, so instead of abandoning her own hive, and the climate she was adjusted to, she became the High Queen centered in that Hive World. For a time this left the First Hive without a Queen, but a Dowager took over, with the next successor following them. Similar cases have offspring of the previous High Queen taking over, while being advised by a Vizier and/or a Dowager.
Though the Nah'ni are largely the same, the different Hives, located in different climates, regions, and such, each have their own specific and unique adaptations. The Nah'ni of worlds with much rock and ore are genearlly tougher, more hardy, colored in dark, dull greys and browns, larger, and slower, the Workers are more multipurpose and varied as well. Those of jungle worlds are generally lighter, and faster, the female Workers have spinnerets instead of barbless stings, they can weave silk, which is astonishingly strong. They are less durable as a whole, and the Soldiers while still larger lack the armor the Iron Mountain Soldiers have. Some Jungle Nah'ni can also secrete a potent venom, but it is not fatal, unless many bites are given, it just induces fear and panic, their fangs cannot pierce through thick cloth or armor, only males have this. They usually have brighter colors, but also mottled shades of green and brown to better blend in.
Hives in worlds with prevalent water and plains are more adapted to aquatic and humid environments. They can 'walk' and float on water, the smaller Castes at least. Unfortunately due to living in soft earth, as opposed to hard mountains, they are weaker and smaller than the Hives of 'harder' worlds, but are just as durable, soldiers not included. The average Worker is much smarter however, and are much more reclusive than even normal Nah'ni. They are masters of camouflage and the entrance to their Hive is hidden even to other Nah'ni not of the same Hive. Some of the Worker Caste of this Hive can dive and are accomplished fishermen, though they do not often get a chance to hunt for fish in the dry season.
The exoskeletons of Nah'ni are wondrous things, they are organic, and are grown as part of a Nah'ni, each Caste has their own style of exoskeleton, with different Hives being different as well. Despite being roughly as strong as certain metal armors, though nominally thicker, Nah'ni exoskeletons are much more flexible, though not to the extreme. This flexibility only lasts when the Nah'ni is alive, however. When a Nah'ni dies, their exoskeleton gradually hardens, but also becomes more brittle unless treated right, or preserved.
Despite how many think of them, the Nah'ni are not a Hive Mind, not exactly anyways. The High Queen, can sense the deaths of others of the Swarm, but cannot outright contact them. The only of the NAh'ni who can contact the High Queen, through the Bond are the other Queens, the Captains, and some viziers. The Captains could access the Bond, through their own unique Bond with their Ships, while most Vizier have some psionic potential, so they can tap into the Bond. For most Nah'ni the presence of the Bond is an instinctual feeling, that does not exactly affect them, except in times of war or distress.
Mating habits: The Nah’ni still hold remnants of the traits held by their more mundane insect brethren. The Queen is not the only one that can mate, but typically the Brood of a/the Queen is better, generally. The members of every Caste, or nearly so, are capable of breeding, more often than not, no matter the Caste, the resulting Brood will be composed entirely of Workers. This is not always the case however, though it occurs more often when a new Hive is in its infancy phase, Soldiers, Vizier, and other Castes can be produced by breeding in between the members of a Caste. New Crafters and Viziers are more often than not members of the Queens Brood, during the early years of a Hive, anyways.
Nah’ni young, before they become a full member of whatever Caste, are called Drones. A Drone becomes an 'adult' when they undergo their Change, this is a period that lasts from a few months to several years. It is not too dissimilar from Puberty in other races, though the Change is arguably much greater. They not only go through emotional and mental changes, but major, major physical changes as well. Workers gain a multitude of changes for different functions, depending upon the region, Soldiers become much larger, and that change can take some getting used to, especially if they are a Knight. Using extra limbs and such takes time to adjust to as well, and then the different types of pheromones and such as well.
Though interbreeding between the Castes is uncommon, it is not entirely rare. The results of these rare unions can produce some interesting effects. There are stories of Workers born between a Soldier and a Worker that have increased strength, but are still the same size and such of an average Worker. That is actually how the War-crafter variant of the Crafter Caste came about. The offspring of a Soldier and a Crafter was more predisposed to ‘craft’ more aggressive and combat oriented changes. This was what led to the Broodmothers birthing the first of the War-crafters.
The Nah’ni can only reproduce through breeding during their mating season period, which takes place in the first or second half of the year, depending upon the climate and region in which they live. During the Mating season their colors become more pronounced, and certain types of pheromones unique to the season are produced as well. These pheromones are only produced by females of other Castes, though most predominantly Workers, they are kept in the Hive during this time. This rule came about after several incidents involving certain activities of other races becoming less restricted. During this time, Male Workers will ‘sing’ to draw in a mate, members of other races have noted, that while an acquired taste, Nah’ni ‘music’ can be quite pleasant.Thangar: The Thangar are a diminutive and tough race, they greatly resemble dwarves of old earth Fantasy tales. They rarely stand above 4 feet, but despite that, many find them intimidating, due to their fiece nature and looks. Regardless of their gender they are a heavily muscled and hearty people, they are far stronger than they look however. Their home planet of Thangar has an extremely high gravity compared to Earth norm, and that combined with other factors has granted them extreme super strength and toughness in normal density and gravity. Their ships and personal abodes typically are kept at similar levels of gravity and such to prevent accidents.
Thangar Consortium: Aeons ago the Thangar Empire spanned Galaxies, but infighting between the Monarchy and the Merchant guilds ended up causing the Empire to shatter. The Consortium is what remains of the once great Thangar Empire. They are a merchant nation and their society is divided up into Classes and Guilds. In matters of importance in ascending order the Classes are Tinker, Merchant and High-Born, though the lines between them are not so clear cut.
On occasion a Noble or Merchant can have the skills or have been born a Tinker, and ascended through success. Every Guild is made up of members of every Class, mostly Tinkers making their goods, Merchants selling those goods and Nobles profiting the most, though most High-Born are still skilled merchants, to a point. Tinkers are not just responsible for creating and making items, but also for obtaining and assembling them, most likely.
There is another Class, technically two more, but Exiles/Classless are not considered a true Class. The fourth Class is the Warrior Class, they are considered both above and below the members of the regular Class, Warriors can only be Warriors, and cannot ascend or descend from their position, well, not exactly. They fight and they revel in combat, if they were made to pay for the Thangar products they consume they could quite possibly be the single largest income source for the Guilds.
The Exiles or Classless are simply put, those did not follow the rules. Some are disgraced Warrior who were Exiled, which is akin to a dishonorable death to them. Most Exiles however are Tinkers who were unskilled or lost use of their skills, or Merchants who were discovered delivering false good or the like. IT is illegal for Guild Merchants to peddle own or sell Exiled wares. Thangar typically live 2-4 times longer than humans on average, though as they grow towards the end of their lifespan they grow weaker and eccentric.Draug’n: The Draug’n are a nearly extinct race, from a long since passed civilization. They are rather reptilian in nature, tall with distinctive musculature and scales, most had a tail and wings, regardless of gender. The Draug’n Ascendancy was made aeons ago, even before the Millennia old Nah’ni Imperium came into existence. It fell due to unknown reasons and the race fell into decline. The Ihbb, practically worship and revere the Draug'n as the Progenitors, their creators. They had extremely advanced tech, and it is sought after by all the major powers, though most of the tech, and its uses are locked behind bio-metric lock, that require reptilian bio-signatures as well as other features.
Ihbb: The Ihbb were originally the last ditch effort by the Draug’n to save their declining race. The results were promising but not what the Draug’n wanted, despite this they are in essence the Successors of the Draug’n. The Ihbb are not a single race or species, but rather a collection of closely related reptilian humanoids, but most are more human in appearance than the Draug’n were. They each share some feature or quirk that the Draug’n had, but also lack something.
Some are humanoids with scales and tails, others still such as the Hsiss are snakelike with humanoid upper bodies. The Rogh are tall largely built reptilian humanoids with a ridge of scale lining their spines and their arms and legs end in clawed digits. Though all Ihb are combat capable and even lethal in certain ways, it is the Rogh who are the most capable in fighting. In General, the Ihbb live as long as humans, though some might live longer depending upon their bloodlines, so to speak.
Another commonly seen member of the Ihbb is the Chyss, they are similar in appearance to the Rohg, but are much slimmer and smaller, being rather innocuous in appearance, appearing nearly childlike, at least compared to the much larger Hsiss and Rogh. Though the Ihbb are most commonly heavily reptilian in appearance and physiology, a select few are extremely human in appearance, these Ihbb were altered, so as to more easily converse with and deal with the more human races diplomatically.
As a whole the Ihbb are heavily muscled, out of necessity, and the majority of them are carnivorous and coldblooded. They are very languid creatures, but are not exactly lazy, they are just rather casual and slow as a matter of physiology. They are slow to rise, they could literally sleep through a hurricane, assuming they stay warm and as such are instinctively drawn to warmth. Despite their casualness, as a whole the Ihbb are rather suspicious by nature, but this is not without reason. They have very honed instincts and intuition, and do not trust easily, but when they do trust, you have a friend for life practically, and they do not react well to betrayal.
Ihbb Republic: Originally, the Ihbb existed as a tribal confederacy of sorts, and even now their culture draws influence from their tribal past. The Ihbb are led by a Council, each species among the Ihbb elects a member to lead them based on differing criteria. For the Rogh, it was originally due to their size and skill in battle, but those criteria have changed as the Ihbb advanced.The Confederacy of Independent Systems: Unlike most of the other major powers, the CIS is not made up of a single species or culture. Rather they are a union of sorts, a group of races, ruling small amounts of territory, that wish to remain under their own banner, separate from the other Major powers. One well known species is the Weseh, a tall race of feline humanoids, well known for their creativity and curiosity, but they are rarely seen. Other members include the Teshtaran, a warrior culture that was once a great power before they crossed the Nah'ni many years ago.
Welcome to the Hub Thread for Welcome to Omega station. I have put quite a bit of work into this, as can probably be inferred, but it is not quite done. Though I would like to consider myself relatively creative in certain endeavors, I still need some help with this rp. I welcome any suggestions or improvements you lot can bring to this, from suggestions for merchandise to other races to events for the station to ideas for NPC’s or Visiting Characters.
This rp has a rough tech limit equivalent to low FT, I would say. As such I will not be accepting every merchandise concept or character or race. The race thing more has to do with I want to provide the players with a variety of choices but not to overwhelm them utterly, though the shear amount of information here might do that, lol.
In this rp, you will play characters on the station, members of the staff, citizens etc. You can also play visitors to the station, they will not stay on the station throughout the rp, but will still play their part. This rp will mainly focus on the characters and how they react and change as the situation on the station and the galaxy around them does the same.
This rp has a rough tech limit equivalent to low FT, I would say. As such I will not be accepting every merchandise concept or character or race. The race thing more has to do with I want to provide the players with a variety of choices but not to overwhelm them utterly, though the shear amount of information here might do that, lol.
In this rp, you will play characters on the station, members of the staff, citizens etc. You can also play visitors to the station, they will not stay on the station throughout the rp, but will still play their part. This rp will mainly focus on the characters and how they react and change as the situation on the station and the galaxy around them does the same.
