The New and Improved MIND EMPIRE FACTBOOK (FT)

[Lotrabme]

THE MIND EMPIRE

Citizens of this Galaxy and others in range: The Mind Empire under the Sage Council has decided that in order to better interact with our neighbors, the publishing of general information is to be conducted. Our contacts are by and large minimal, though our merchants are ready to form new routes and create agreements for the continued prosperity of we and ye.

It is this factbook's duty to inform the reader of the spatial geography, the politics, the culture, and the history of the Mind Empire. It shall be continually updated as more information is compiled.

We hope you enjoy and learn from this reading- sincerely,
The Sage Council as a whole, under the governance of His Eminence Emmanuel.

[Lotrabme]

SPATIAL GEOGRAPHY

--- UPDATES COMING ---

The Mind Empire has plans to explore and exploit other systems, which currently are considered 'uninhabited', though that may not be the case.

[Lotrabme]

The Mind Empire has existed as a Political entity for over 400 years, being forged out of the dark age following a great psychic and environmental cataclysm on Hame. Since this time, it has grown and expanded to become a complex collection of worlds and species. Each species on its own brings a part of its own culture and mindset to the table, and each world its host of traits and resources. The Mind Empire collectively is greater than the sum of its parts, but understanding those parts is integral to the knowledge of the state as a whole.

Political Structure in cultural perspective:

The Sage Council holds the seat of power in all the Empire, with the 3 Inner sages lead by their Chief dictating the Executive and Judicial will to all those under their power. They are supported by the Inner and Outer Council: The former composed of their elected Justiciars and Inner Sages, and the latter composed of the College of High Clerics (120 of the highest ranking Grand Masters) and the Grand Reverie which serves an ad-hoc representative body which the Haman merchant rulers and Abbott's not fully represented by the High Clerics, Nebulan Queens of great wealth, the Malluman Reos and their Imperator on San, The Ombroj Warlords allied to the Empire, and even a delegation of the Yorms send their parties to attend. The High Clerics and the Grand Reverie together sit before the 3 Inner Sages in council together.

The Inner and Outer Councils are served by the Legal Order, a law keeping and bureaucratic body composed of several of Hame's Abbeys which preserve the law and knowledge. There are also several Guild councils under the Sage Councils, the most important being the Admiralty Chamber (also called the Commission) and the Commerce Chamber, which serve obvious administrative functions.

Societal Order and Stratification:

A glimmer of the societal composition of the Empire can be seen in the way it is governed and hierarchically stratified. Those with the most amount of wealth and power in the nation are among the following: The Haman Clergy and bureaucracy of the nation combined with the intertwined Armada Commission, followed by the Merchants of both the Haman and Nebulan races and the Reos and Werows of the Malluman Clans, closely trailed by Ombroj Warlords and their subordinates. The Nebulan queens of greatest wealth and the Malluman warlords who take a place among the Admiralty can claim the same power as the mighty of the Hamans, but the Sage Council and its subordinates remain almost entirely of Haman stock.

--- Hamans:

With this in mind, let us look at the Hamans as a whole: not all posses the power and wealth of the Abbotts and Bishops, nor the psychic prowess of the Priors. Hamans number greater than the Mallumans and most among them are of common stock, born to be subservient to their higher minded masters. The Common born Hamans vary in degrees of their independence or subservience, with most being in the median in terms of their ability to decide their fate or control others. Of the population, 40% of the commonborn could call themselves 'middle class' while the other 60% would be put as 'lower class'. However, this does not mean these are without rights. The Commonborn enjoy luxuries that in other nations would be unknown to even some upper class. However, they tend to run more menial jobs and own less extensive land, with the population being what it is most lower class Commonborn and even many middle class are in apartments in the Cities or in the Economy and Coach sections of the C-1's. The highest of the middle class can be seen mingling with Highborn Hamans from time to time.

The Highborn are set apart in this set up, as many more highborn are psychics of birth. They often take jobs in the clerical schools or become merchants (where the middle class can join to, blurring this line). The Highborn have more care for their rank and blood than do the Commonborn, and the Highborn often are landowners and have their own homes even in the crowded cities, and reside in the Lido sections of the C-1s. The Highborn also have the wealth to own personal star-yachts. The Highborn are also likely to take military proffessions, with the noble houses sending their more belligerent offspring to the Custodian guard, however in this too Middleclass Commonborn will enter as well.

The Highborn are divided however by their Houses of origin. This becomes confusing to many as the great number of all Hamans (high or commonborn) were born from the great Hatcheries and some raised collectively by the guilds. It is among the Highborn and the Middle class Commonborn of greater wealth that are raised within their genetic house by their relatives, either true sires or related to them. These genetic links (and often retained among the Custodian-Nobility or the psychic clergy) form what are known as the houses. Members of Houses may choose more natural means of reproduction and birth, and thus are one of the few naturally evolving pockets of Hamans remaining, however often those of more slothic nature or stoic so much that they will not do so often directly clone themselves, resulting in a very interesting family tree.

The Houses are ranked as such: The Apostolic Houses descended of the 12 apostles of Balazar the Blessed (the High Prophet of the Quasi-faith, its lawgiver and divine guide). Balazar's own house forms a 13th Apostolic House. The Apostle's houses would form cadet branches over time these being known as the Cadet Houses. Other disciples would gain prominence and found their own houses, these becoming the Houses Minor which are vast and numerous.

The Lusiane family is a branch from the House of Vulcan, therefore is a Cadet House. The House of Mendoz was founded by Rodrick the Apostle, friend and Advisor to Balazar the Blessed in his first incarnation. Therefore the House of Mendoz is a Primary Apostolic house, and has held Viceroyalty since the days of old. Other Apostles have risen, making the total number of houses rise to 19, though some have not survived in totality and have had to have members cloned to survive.

The Houses Minor and the Apostolic Houses alone are merely bloodlines of high psychic ability, and their real power comes from being members of the Psychic Clergy, holding the positions of Prior or Greater. They often supplement this power via Military Order fame (by joining the Commission and leading fleets) or by becoming Mercantile Magnates, and accumulated wealth for their families. A combination of power grabbing and reverent positions often leads to the Highborn Nobility being seen in a less than noble light as sometimes the abuse of wealth and power has been seen.

Those is the Dioceses of the Archbishops, the Bishops under them, the Vicars under them or the Abbots of the monasteries serve a different function. This being of leading worship, training psychics, and sometimes governing the colonies. They are often subservient to the World Controller AI which is established at each colony, and colonies are often granted Governors outside of clerical jurisdiction (often military personnel or a Native Leader). However, the bureaucracy of the legal order is pervasive, and many Bishops and Archbishops will use their wealth to accumulate power. The World controller AI's make great effort to spur such actions.

--- Mallumans:

The Mallumans, found on the salubrious world of San, were in a tribal state when we found them, just reaching up from sentience. The Hamans used them as slave laborers and genetically modified them to become soldiers for a century until their great Rebellion the 9 month war (3656). After this they gained more rights but still remained both subservient and primitive despite the efforts of some among both the Haman and Malluman race.

The Mallumans live for the most part on Haman colonies, with the greatest bulks of their race inhabiting their Homeworld, nearby Artemys, Erra, Tao, and Y'rocon. Some call Hame home and others are dispersed through the fleet, but those 5 worlds serve as the centers of their living area.

The Mallumans divide themselves into Clans, ruling pockets of territory on their chosen world from great Fortress Keeps, where they war and make treaties with other clans to ensure power for each. These clans are ruled by a Reox, a King in our tongue, and his vassals are Werows (singular Werox) who lead their own bloodlines alongside that of the Reox to combat other clans.

Unlike the Human evolved Hamans, the Mallumans gender roles are reversed in comparison. The Females are masculine, larger, warrior-centric, and when in power polygamous of their Male counterparts. The Females of their race will be referred to as He, Him, whereas the Males will be referred to as Her's, Shes. Iyn= Malluman Female (egglayer), Ar= Malluman male (fertilizer). The Ars are flamboyant and have longer and more colorful hair than the dull black and short neck hairs of the Iyn. Iyn also lay eggs with a ratio of 3:1 in favor of the Iyn on average. However, while there is a larger Iyn population in total (being in populace 2:1), for a powerful Iyn they may have up to 50 Ar consorts, and will lay larger clutches with multiple Ars, as they know that more Ars will watch after more eggs. The Reox and Werox positions are also Iyn only, and while Iyns serve as the travelling warrior bands under their sovereigns, the Ars remain behind as Braves to protect the keeps. The Iyn only position of Ronin and the Ar only position of Brave should never be confused.

Off of San itself, these Clan distinctions become less clear, as under the Hamans more cooperative action is preferable. The Clans often form either corporations and merchant conglomerates on the positive end, or on the negetive devolve into urban gangs and continue their clan warfare in a similar fashion among a different environment. This negative aspect is most prevalent on Tao, however the Octavian Cadet House has seen to it that these gangs are pressed into service, and their Mafia like Weros and Reos are made either warlords or put into fealty of the Clergy.

The Mallumans are not normally psychic, but have some members who appear to have such traits. Their former religion was Shamanistic and upon being made members of the Empire adapted traits of their old faiths to the newly found Quasi-faith. They are therefore the most devout and when one among them is a powerful psychic, religious devotion overtakes them around this Prophet, each of whom they call "Gojir" in title.

Apart from the Gojiran Prophets, the Imperator-Arbiter of the Mallumans is a member of the Reos who holds an office of power among both the Mallumans and the Hamans. Originally simply the Arbiter, it was elected to be the General Fjkthr who made truce with Jorj Manjenson at the end of the 9 month war. For the next 20 years Fjkthr represented his people on the Council, and founded a royal line among royals. Reox Ynti reos "King of Kings" is what the Arbiter often became after, a Malluman Ronin of exceptional skill who would ascend among the Reos and find favor with the Hamans in times of war. Imperator became added as the Arbiter would serve as a Warmaster of the Mallumans alongside the sparsely appearing Gojirs.

---- Nebulans:

The Nebulans are a eusocial hive species with a Queen based system of reproduction and power. The Hives are organized from the top down: The True Queen and her Viceroyal Queens, the Males, the soldier females, and the worker females.

The True Queen is dominant over other Queens of her local hive by being the most strongly psychic, or by being the mother or senior sister of her lieutenants. Often a queen will work with her daughters until death, dispersing her holdings to them at that time, or allowing them to wander and form their own territories. Hive reproduction is often engaged in by all the queens rather than just one, though it varies.

The Males while not so powerful as the queens in abilities have their own unique psychic abilities based more around communication and analysis, rather than on possession and mass-communication as the Queens are often to excel in. The Males act as advisers and servants to their mates, and are devoted to them until death do them part. They will often be labor drivers for the queens, or serve as diplomats for their adoptive hives. Some queens have been known to neuter their sons to keep them in their service rather than disperse them, though this is not always seen in the best light.

The Soldier and Worker Females are all neuters, and while differing in size are not much else discernible. They are in total, subservient to their Queens and their Male consorts. Each Queen may lay up to 500 of these neuter females in their lifetime. They do little else than serve as a labor pool through which the Queens operate their trading vessels and their labyrinthine Hive-Factories.

The Hives work in tandem with the Merchant Guilds of the Hamans, together the two form neccesary cogs on the machine of commerce. The Hives often settle asteroids and moons near colonies and build factories and refineries to create the surplus of the Mind Empires wealth. Queens with multiple factories are often the most powerful, but are challenged by the Shipping Cartels, run by more mobile hives who make a living for cheap transport, or those who serve with Hamans on the C-1 Hulk Galleons. Nebulan Ark Ships can be found around nearly any colony similar to the C-1s.

---- Yorms:

The Yorms are currently the most primitive of the civilized races of the Mind Empire (the near non-sentient Endel do not count as they are not 'civilized'). The Yorms have been with the Mind Empire since their discovery in the 1340s and 50s. Ever since they have taken up mercenary and trading roles as privateers on board Haman and Nebulan vessels, but having a preference for the Nebulans who they feel need better cooks.

The Yorms are biologically Hermaphroditic, but often practice 4 party marriages in which all members give birth to broodlings, 2 become in charge of the broodcare while the 2 others become the collectors. Often these bands of yorms would sometimes group together to from villages but these still remain sparse, and to this day only the colony city built by the Nebulans and Hamans is the sole metropolis of the world Yormi. The populace is largely agrarian with a basis in swamp fishing and marsh agriculture. The Yorms do inhabit the city build on their moon Yorya, but it is mainly a manufacturing center for their own "Stardog" transport shuttles, from which their privateers operate alongside the Galleons of the Mind Empire.

Yorm mercenaries either commence trade runs for paying parties or can be called for military service, however they are often overlooked due to their small stature and percieved bodily frailty. This is a miscalculation, as their wormlike bodies are surprisingly resilient and their size makes for better cover, though the quality of the Yorms training can often be called to question, and their competence in missions is not always the best.

They are looked at as quaint by Hamans and Nebulans, and as prey-like by the Mallumans. The Yorms want to have some respect among their Imperial allies though, and often individual Yorms try to prove their worth to their patrons. This can suceed or fail depending upon the competence of the Yorms, and among the Hive Queens and some of the Clergy, it has been learned not to judge a Yorm by his carapace.

[Lotrabme]

Being both a religiously devoted and a mercantile society, the Mind Empire makes a case of observing several days of festivities and many traditional practices in order to solidify social cohesion.


HOLIDAYS:

-Voidsday: A celebration of the threshold between the multiverse, the wormholes that allow us instantaneous travel, and the percieved connection to the Holy Spirit living outside and throughout the universe. On this day buildings are decorated with colored lights and cloth of black is drapped from the buildings to resemble the deep space night. This is a Haman holiday but bleeds over to the other cultures. One traditional event is the delivering of surprise presents and the giving of valuable things. This is representative of the early wormholes which would spew forth or take out random objects, and thus the gifts are often random. Voidsday is held for the New Year (Counted every Winter Solstice of Hame, with a 137 year epoch for clock resets marking Epochal Voidsday, for which there is a Jubilee).

-Mothersmay: A spring equinox festival, invented by the Hamans to celebrate spring and the thawing of winter, it is held for a whole week of celebration. Common decerations are in pastels and garlands of flowers and vines.

-Vultoberfest: A Haman festival for 3 days to celebrate the fall equinox, rich colors in robes and decorations comparitively. This is a 3 day bachanalian affair, first day heavy partying, second day of rest, third day of even more intense partying. Hamans and Mallumans share equally in this holiday, and many Malluman Highland games have been incorperated into the festival's public proceedings.

-Nomad's festival: A Nebulan festival revolving around mobile fleamarkets held twice every year (for the short Oanyo year) representative of the dusk period when the planet's inhabited side turns behind the sun from its slow orbit. The fleamarket style of the festival comes from the Queen's old gatherings where resources were exchanged on the arid world for community survival, and due to the now lack of scarcity among the hives it has become more of a public day of commerce.

-9 month war anniversary: This day marks the anniversary of the 9 month war, tends to be a day for sports games and communal tailgating and barbecuing. Hamans and Mallumans alike celebrate this. Occurs between All prophets day and Vultoberfest.

-All Prophets day: A religious holiday honoring both the Sainted Hamans and the Gojir Prophets of the Mallumans for whom it is named. Occurs on the Summer Solstice of Hame and is usually accompanied by Gold and Silver vestments and cloth decorations. It is a day of reverence and fasting for a week is observed by some of the devout.

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EVERYDAY CUSTOMS

For Highborn Hamans and many Commonborn life is very free, despite the routine of state sanctioned work they are free to pursue pastimes of their choice without much restraint. Commonborn Hamans are required to work 3 days of the 7 day week by the Empire, and tend to take more menial or repetitive tasks suited to their training. Labour would be more extensive, however thanks to the advent of heavy robotics, even the Lower Class Commonborn are spared tedious and dangerous professions.

The Highborn are usually also under the 3 day work requirement, but most Hamans of all castes are partially programmed to enjoy their particular routine and do not mind working even a day extra, but the Threshold day of the week tends to be reserved among the Highborn for church service, even among the more non-religious, as it is a communal activity day.

The Quasi-faith true mystic services are often low key and not long, about an hour in length. Great Masses are held more sparingly as they require full choir and orchestra and are often accompanied by a large community feast. Normal services are held in congregation domes and the Prior will lead his flock in reciting some chants to increase psychic activity, instructing the training in new mantras, and by telling proverbs and stories to those in need of a 'moral' lesson. After these services are done, many will have a nice lunch with their family and friends, while the monks continue their spiritual training before a late night dinner with their colleagues.

Sports and Passtimes are common among all the races but the Hamans began many. One in particular, blernsbol, has become widely popular and is practiced by many small leagues in almost every community, and with larger cities having their own teams compete in leagues. Most players of Blernsbol are Haman or Malluman, the anatomies of Nebulans and Yorms keep them from playing, and usually they have little desire to do more that spectate.

The Life of the Mallumans has improved drastically over the centuries since their discovery. Once slaves to the Hamans they ascended both through help and rebellion, and have become an integral population in the Empire. A civilian Malluman is uncommon, unless they are serf to a Clan leader in a city doing labour for them. Most Mallumans live in the Clan system to this day, though the nature of the Clans can change drastically, some are almost all Marine companies living in the fleet, while others run cartels or shops in the cities. More are known to be military, and thus live by military code in service to their Vice Admiral and above them to the Admirals and the Sages.

In the past they were presecuted and seen as savage monsters, but now many Hamans have grown fond of the race, and especially on Tao and San many have begun to mirror Malluman values, creating a curious blend of cultures, particularly in the Malluman dress coming to the Hamans, while the Hamans have given many mallumans the ideas of patience and a more cooperative outlook on life.

Gojir Prophets of the Mallumans can be and often are admitted to the College of High Clerics, joining the Archbishops as their equals in religious importance and influence. This helps the equality measure and keeps the Malluman populace happy, as well as the pressence of their Imperator Arbiter in Grand Reverie.


- Nebulans:

Being Eusocial, the Nebulans live much like the insect hives of Earth, with notable comparrisons in structure to be made from Termites and from Paper Wasps for the higher castes, particularly in the nature of multiple queens living under the same roof. A psychic connection permeats them, so often they communicate solely by this measure, due to its effectiveness over long distances and with most psychic or partially receptive species.


- Yorms:

In conjunction with four party marriages, the Yorms often live in a mound based community outside of swamps. Here hundreds if not thousands of yorms might be present, but despite there numbers in their mounds the Yorms are very agrarian and provincial in outlook. They have adopted many of the high tech communication systems of the Hamans, work on spaceships of the Nebulans (even inventing their own shuttle with our help) and are often aficionados of our sports, but besides that do not take advantage of those connections.

-Ombroj:

The Ombroj are true nomads, living in their flotillas for their whole lives and being bound by serivce to their warlords. Thus most of their activities revolve around increasing the strength and wealth of their fleet or on military victory and acquisition. This leads to Ombroj taking jobs as merchants, mechanics, and mercenaries. They also have a taste for cuisine and will open restaurants if they feel it worth the effort. Their family lives are as of now a mystery, though it seems they don't have clear organizations other than pair off and mate, and they largely go their separate ways. This mentality is believed to spring from the futility of living on their poorly maintained ships.

NAMING PRACTICES:

- Hamans:
Among the Hamans names are often fuild in form, but over the years practices have come into play.

For someone of a House, be it Apostolic, Cadet, or Minor they tend to end their Houses's name with -on or something similar. (ie: Alderon, Kaon, Vulcon, Calderon, Mendoz). Mendoz is a notable exception to the rule, but owes to its ancient origin. Among the first names however, they tend to be more sporadic: Balazar, Ben, Julia, Kadia, Alia, Ursa, Euron, Octavian, Thor, Han, Josias, Rodrig, Robardos, Paulos, Caios, Marcos.

Three or four names tend to be the norm for Highborn Hamans, if they are of a house they might take either the fathers name, mothers name, or both as their Housename, their first name is more of a personal name, and sometimes a secondary middle name is added, usually a preferential choice.

Females of houses often add an e to the end of their Housename, giving it a short a sound following the n. Eris Caldarone is an example, being from the House of Caldarone. Females tend to keep their original housename in marriage, and children are recognized as members of both houses unless with specific relegation if they are born.

Balazar Basilus Vulcon, Ezekiel Eustace Vulcon, Madeline Cyclonia Vulcone.

Among the Clone born, they tend to be selected into a house minor or gens group, but will go by the same first name last name basis. Their gens group may often connect to an Apostolic House, though Duons and Trions will not be considered official members of the House, though cousins of it.

If someone is a direct clone reincarnation, they will take a direct number, if someone however is not a direct clone or a clone but considered a descendant, they will take a Roman numeral.

For example: Baylock IV is the fourth named Baylock of that family, whereas Baylock IV 2 would be Baylock IV's clone, with the original having 1 as his number.

- Malluman Convention:

A Malluman's clan often determine naming practices. There is a general rule that your Keep of origin is how you are named. For example, every Malluman of the Keep of Volel will take the name Volelee. The suffix is condition for all Iyns to take as they are all inducted into the militia, no matter of Ronin or Serf status. Ar Braves do not take the suffix, being simply Volel in the example. Children take the clan name regardless if one parent is from outside, if you are in the community you have the name.

Firstnames are sporadic, but often have a consonate y and short a ending: Skrlxya, Vonya, Degya, Julya.

A suffix is added to the first name if they are of Reox-descent and a Reox or Werox themself. The suffix has to be earned. The suffix originates from the deeds completed by the Malluman earning it, or from a famous ancestor recognized in the earning Malluman.

Tarya'Natar Phoee, Skrlxya'Gathar Yonamee etc.

- Nebulans

Nebulan hives operate on a system of Hive based naming. Using the example of the Zulyl hive.
Queens are often named with the hives prefix (first two letters most often, Zu)
ex: Zulana, Zulylina, Zuthina, Zulysha etc, tends to be random and whatever the queen prefers, no matter what she will be recognized as a member of this hive.

Males are named with two suffixes, stating their job and rank.
2 ranks, with suffix Olm and Oam. Olm indicates a Baron-merchant, and one closer to the queen. Oam denotes a Baron-speaker, who serves as a diplomat and is usually not as close to the queen.

Zulolm and Zuloam.

Female soldiers and workers are not given true names, and don't communicate other than with the queen so they tend to have no use of names.

- Yorms

Tend to take duosylabic names like Beedle, Yomak, Ilson, Tweeble etc, with random assortments, no attempt to organize houses other than with similar sounding names.

-Ombroj

Don't have clear practices, taking on whatever names they seem fit to choose. Tend to be harsher sounding to the Haman ear.

[Lotrabme]

The Mind Empire is a pseudo-religious space-borne entity, with true power lying among the ArchBishops and the Bishops of the College of High Clerics, and among the Admiralty of the Armada.

However, familial divisions permeate three of the four civilized races of the Mind Empire* and their social system, setting them apart from others in standing and rank.

The Hamans are divided in the Unon upper class by the Houses they are members of. These extended genetic families can be rather large but have a series of principal leaders whom are looked to.

The Apostolic Houses stand above all other houses, the number of these being 13.
The Cadet Houses are those branched off or closely related to the Apostolics, there number is considerably larger
The Houses Minor are the greatest in number, of lesser nobility but still honorable to be a part of.
The Houses Plebii are the lowest houses, usually ascended

The Clergy has the following ranks, followed by the Military Orders divisions and ranks:

Chief Sage
Vice Sage Shadow Sage --- Inner Sages

2 Chancellors
120 Collegian Masters 122 total + 3 High Sages --- Outer Sages/ Apostles

Government Magistrates:

- Chancellors, 2 up for election every 6 years by a non-elector. Speakers of the College Senate. The Chancellors are elected in 2s for one to replace the other in certain duties. They are selected and rotated among the members of the Masters every 6 years but there is no official term limit.
- Collegiate Masters/Jurors, 120 allowed to sit in each council though true numbers are greater, wear Black and Blue robes as part of their ceremonial outfit though dresscode is only adhered in certain occassions. Each of the College Masters is given a titular Monastery in the Capital City, and 4 select are granted the Grand Bishophric of the Great Basilica, the Chapel Vulcon, the Chapel Nagane, and the Holy Mountain. The Malluman Gojir Prophets are also headed by a Grand Bishop who has a seat on the council. The other 115 are all Masters in their schools and are the ceremonial heads of several schools and monasteries in the city, by which they gain their authority as Judges.
----- Jusitciar, a roving justice of the peace under the Hierarchs, called the Imperial Hand. (circuit Judges, who can act as Legates of the Sage council) Justiciars are appointed from among the college of Masters as needed, and 12 Justiciars are permitted to exist at one time.
- Polemarch, 1, fleet Commander, head of the commission, given to the most senior officer.
--- Constable of the Imperial Citadel, chief security officer of the Capital, Captain of the 1st Company of the 1st Apostolic Order.
- Imperial Treasurers, 6 selected every 3 years: Monitor the Treasury
- Imperial Censors, 6 selected every 3 years: Monitor the Population and Logistics
---- Aediles 4 for each censor, the operatives of the Censor.
- Nuncios, ambassadorial Missionaries
- Majestine Spectres, 33, the head officers of the Majestine Order.
- Chamberlain- secretary to the Sages, a deputy appointment.

---- Grand Bishop- Intendent for a Major Basilica and often a superior Archbishop (Master level)
- 5

---- Archbishop- Judge of a Planet, or of an extremely important province/Starbase. Often less and indicator of province but an honorific for an esteemed Bishop. (Master level).
- about 30 Bishops hold the rank of Archbishop
- Masters of the rank of Bishop are often recruited to the College of Masters.
- The Justiciars have the rank of Archbishop as part of their authority.

---- Bishop- Provincial judge (often based out of a Colonial Starbase, and often of Master level though can be skilled Adepts).
- about 300 Bishops

---- Prior- Judge of a major city (Master, Adept) ---- Abbott- Head of a Monastery/School (Master level)
- several thousands - several hundreds
---- Acoyltes below.
---- Prefects, the constabulary authority of a City or Province, directed by the Commission.


Commission based ranks:

Polemarch:

Fleetmaster of the 1st Imperial Order
- Lord High Protector
- Marines 1st Chapter are the Custodian Guard, hold the 1st defense fleet
- 12 other fleets to act as the agent of the Justiciars.
- Based out of Hame, Edom, and Vulcan.

Fleetmaster of the 2nd Imperial Order
-30 Fleet divisions under Vice Admirals, 2 Admirals and the Grand Admiral command a 3rd each.
-- Commanded by Grand Admiral Thor II, the Polemarch
---- Atat IV and Paul Emmanuelson are full Admirals in this order, command 2 of the three greater divisions
-based out of Nemesis, Edom, and Lucia.

Fleetmaster of the 3rd Imperial Order
- 5 fleet divisions, border patrol service under Octavian II Grand Admiral.
--- currently in need of succession to solve the crisis, with several vice admirals waiting to be promoted.
- based out of Tao and Corovan.

Fleetmaster of the 4th Imperial Order
- 10 fleet divisions, assigned to exploratory service and long range defense and offense, as wellas trade police and defense.
- under command of Admiral Gol Forchenko
- Each is on extended assignment usually scientific.
- based out of 5 port worlds.

Fleetmaster of the 5th Imperial Order
- 10 fleet divisions, assigned to Trade policing and defensing, as well as exploratory and long range service.
- Under command of Admiral Job Costanza.
- Extended assignments similar to 4th order, usually as border patrol.
- based out of 5 port worlds.

Fleetmaster of the 6th Imperial Order
- Commanded by the Imperator Tarya'Natar Phoee, in his capacity as Admiral and Justiciar.
- divided into 12 fleet divisions.
- attaches to the 1st and 2nd orders often.
- Based out of San and Lucia.

-Grand Admiral - Commands a fleet of over 1000 vessels
-Admiral - Commands a fleet of 100-600 vessels
-Vice Admiral - Commands a fleet of 20-100 vessels
-Rear Admiral - Commands a fleet of 10-20 vessels
-Commissioner - Commands a fleet of 1-10 vessels
-Sub-Commissioner
-Junior Commissioner

Marine Ranks:
-Captain-General
-Constable
--- Prefect
-Captain
-Lieutenant
-Ensign

Honorifics:
- Jamon for Psychic Adepts and up, starting with Priors
- Mon for Senyors of other kind, polite like Mr. or Mrs.

Senyors are particularly wealthy people, though not of the Clerical Orders and thus not true nobility, but often a merchant borgeois, and can sometimes be distant relatives to the Clerical Orders.

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The Mallumans have a more simplified system among their warlike clans. Iyn's are the only ones permitted to ascend the ranks in this manner, the Ars may only become revered concubines in the courts. Each clan is usually localized to a large city state ruled by a Reox.

Imperator: a Reox who has proven the greatest warrior of the age, and ascends his Clan to preeminence over all the others on San.
Reox: The Clan-Kings known as the Reos who are the primary leaders of each Clan. They are determined by the strongest warrior.
Werox: Weros as they are plural known are the lieutenants of the Reox, and usually the heirs by virtue of their martial skill. They often have minor courts of their own, and are considered equivalents to Jarls. The number of Weros depends on the size of the clan.
Claniyns/Clanars: The rank of all others in the clan, by showing martial prowess they can become Weros or even Reos themselves. Claniyns will normally become Braves of their clan, while the Clanars remain behind as 'homeguard'.
Clanserfs: The servants of the Clan, often members by being servants, and under the protection of the Reox and his Weros.
----------------------

The Nebulans are the only race who's rank is given at birth and cannot be changed, due to the eusocial and dimorphic nature of their biology.

Queen-Matriarch: The ruling queen of a hive and usually not the sole reproducing queen unless the hive is newly founded. She will be the center of the political and psychic activities of the hive and often direct its resources and attentions.
Queen-jarla: The other queens in a hive, daughters or sisters of the matriarch in most cases, can number in the 20s and 30s with large enough hives. They help to organize the Cartel fleets and maintain the hive, and serve as potential successors to the Matriarch Queen.
Speaker-Merchants: Name suffix of olm is in their name, and they serve as administrators and commanders to their wives the queens. They are usually the most valued Males of the Husbands.
Speaker-Servants: With the name suffix of oam, these males, either lower ranking husbands or neutered sons of queens serve as enforcers of the law and directors of activity among the normally docile workers and warriors, or as Ambassadors to different cartels or organizations.
Women Warriors: The Soldier class, sterile females, commanded by the Baron-Speakers.
Women Servants: The worker class, kept in line by the Baron-Speakers.
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* The Yorms live in collective small communities with no true sense of rank, therefore having no applicable ranks to show.

[Lotrabme]

HABITATS OF THE RACES OF THE EMPIRE

Hamans and Mallumans often share their living spaces, and despite some key examples in the contrary they can be grouped together to explain the main modes of living for many in the Mind Empire.

-Starbases:
The large number of Starbases in the Mind Empire means that much of the population calls them home. The Colonial starbases are believed to number somewhere near 1000, with over 300 in the Hame system itself. The societal structure of these starbase is relatively monotone for both Hamans and Mallumans though various cultures have tendencies to arise when least expected.

Each Colonial Starbase is watched by an AI Control-brain who controls the logistics and the maintenance of the station, meanwhile Haman Magnates as well as Reos and Weros will claim the Starbase as their home and their base and operate their activities from it. The more gubernatorial policies of the Starbase are often overseen by a Dioc or a Vicar who is sent to watch their newly established flock. This makes the Starbase a Diocese or a Vicary and liable to true governance and taxes.

It is more often a Vicar who comes to dominate a Starbase than a Dioc, as Dioc's often preside over greater congregations than what a Starbase could hold (about 100,000 civilians). The Control-brain will also operate automated defenses, and whichever Mallumans come to inhabit the Colony would make it their keep and defend it themselves as an Auxiliary unit.

For Starbases on which the World Controller's make their home the Citadel Starbases, or even some lucky Colonial Starbases, these will become the headquarters of a Chapter of the Armada. The Imperial and Apostolic Orders of the Armada will renovate these Starbases and establish a Constable to oversee their protection. Civilians will often follow along, especially Mallumans who make themselves Auxilaries to the Orders.

The RnR and Hoplite Starbases are much less civilian, devoted to Maintenance and Defense respectively, though sometimes people will make their homes on these.

-Planetside cities:
--- The Haman Arcology:
The Hamans have built on Hame and on the worlds they colonize great cities, though to avoid the urban sprawl of earlier ages the projects became more and more vertical. Coming out of a darker age when city states became the dominant powers and technology was rediscovered Hamankind wanted to become closer to one another, as well as embrace the technology they had acquired. Cities would grow taller and taller until the towers reached 10 kilometers in height, and a third of that below. This opened much of the land to resource acquisition, farming, and letting the natural habitat regrow. This Arcology model for cities proved efficient and stable, and thus on the terraformed colonies it has been copied.

Inside these cities much as in the Starbases much is automated, with a Control brain in each city to help organize things. These cities too will be governed by a Vicar, and regional capitals will be overseen by a Dioc, and especially on hame a Jarl or Prince will be present to represent the interests of the Greater Houses, with Magnates of Unon and Duon rank interested in promoting their own advancement, and servants from the monasteries to serve their needs.

A particularly holy city will be the seat of an Arch-Dioc and have many monasteries and shrines. This is usually rare however, as most Arch-Diocii will remove themselves to the Capital city to be closer to government.

Mallumans living in Haman cities will often form urban clans by which to have the same organization as in their Home cities. This can cause discord but there has luckily been a great deal of understanding and modification to suite this manner of living.

--- The Malluman Keep:
The Mallumans Keep cities are often rather similar to the Haman arcologies, though on a smaller scale and designed to be a fortress against Clan raiding. The Keep is centered on the Castle with the Weros and the Claniyns of highest rank living closest to the center, and the Clanserfs being the closest to the outer walls.

The Werox title is one of duty to the Reox, where the Weros of each keep must serve as civil aids as well as generals, making them some of the most capable Mallumans for governing, ensuring if there is a rebellion, a Werox does indeed have the right skills to succeed the Reox.

Civilian life is as a rule combined with military life, and it is often strict in regards to honor, respect, and discipline. The Mallumans do every week have a catharsis day where they rest from their rigid work and imbibe and celebrate, and most Mallumans cherish this day.

The attempts to create the same system of governance through religion has worked to some minor degree among the Mallumans. The Gojir prophets came from being hermitic shamans to increasing their power around their churches and shrines. They have taken Vicar and Dioci roles to fulfill the wishes of the Haman government, but as a result the Mallumans have a greater deal of control over their own lives than we had anticipated.

- Nebulan hives, planetside and orbital:
The Nebulans have organized their lives around living in hives centered on a central brainwashing queen and her servants. This structure has served their society well and continues to do so, and aids the Mind Empire as a whole through the economic ramifications it presents.

One would be remiss to dismiss the Nebulans as having no social graces, infact theirs may be the most harsh and basic, for their Queens and the surrounding princesses and Barons keep things in check by virtue of their hierarchy. The reproductive females must compete with eachother to secure the hive, and the support of the most males, who in turn will fertilize their eggs and help to organize their workforces.

Many hives in the modern day have become factories. The Hives of Oanyo and Natron have recently been turned over to primarily agricultural pursuits by virtue of the ever fluctuating population of the hives, but in space the Asteroids and Vessels which the Hive Cartels call home are turned into orbital and open space workshops for shipbuilding/wrecking, ore processing, and various heavy industries which have multiplied the wealth of the Mind Empire tenfold. As a result of this immense output, the Ombroj have both raided and cohabited with the Nebulans, and Yorms are more likely to serve as privateers with the Nebulans.

One social grace of the Nebulans cannot however be overlooked: They expect reciprocation and equivalent exchange. It is the center of their once desert dwelling society to expect a proper exchange, and thus they are honest but strict businessbeings. If they don't consider your objects worth the wealth they offered they will pester until they receive what they requested/expected. Luckily, they are not known for dishonesty in this matter.

-Yorm Life:

The Yorms often live alongside various spacefairers in their cities, normally the Starbases or the Asteroid Hives. However on their homeworld the Yorms live very differently. There is only one true 'city' on Yormi and it was built by Hamans. The villages of the Yorms are small, filled with huts and piers out onto the lakes they live near to. This is where they harvest waterplants and fish to feast on.

The four way marriages of the Yorms create social groupings centered on fours. Often sixteen or thirty two Yorms will be the progenitor families of towns, and the eldest members of these groups will be the honored elders of the town. From just one family of four Yorms can spawn 120 in two years. Those 120 could generate 3600 in that same time. Despite these large raw numbers the conditions on the planet as well as the Yorm way of life keep them in villages often of several thousands of Yorms cooperating to farm and gather food to feed their social collective.

It is in the spacial cities, and especially in the City of Yormi and on the moon Yorya that the Yorm population has exploded, with nearly 450 million Yorms concentrated on Yormi-spaceport, and Yorya is home now to 2.3 billion Yorms. In both these groups they still operate as a social collective, though each retains independence of mind.

[Lotrabme]

RANKS OF THE ARMADA

Ranks of The Commission:
-Polemarch (The Chief officer of the Commission, the Armada organizer).
-Grand Admiral (Commander of an Imperial Order if not the Polemarch, 1000-5000 vessels if not more)
-- Lord High Protector (A special rank granted to the Admiral in command of the 1st Imperial Order.)
-Admiral (Commander of an Imperial Order or an Apostolic Order, 100-700 vessels)
-Vice Admiral (Commander of a Chapter Fleet usually 50-100 ships.)
-Rear Admiral (Command of 10-50 ships, or a detachment of a fleet)
-Commissioner (Command of 1-10 ships)
-Sub-Commissioner (second to a Commisioner, often in command of one ship.)
-Junior Comissioner (minor functionary of a higher officer, green Commission officer)

Ranks of the Orders:
---Vizier (Quaestor/Colonel, often serves an Armad and their fleet directly)
-Captain General (The head of a Chapter, 10,000 marines)
---Constable (Castellan of a Citadel)
- Captain (Commands a Company, 100 marines)
- Lieutenant (higher ranked Marine)
- Adjunct (a ship maintenance-crewman).
- Ensign (initiate/lower ranked Marine).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Orders, and the Armada's organization.

The Armada as a whole, is the full fleet of the Mind Empire and it's defensive forces. It is headed by the Polemarch who is the leading officer of the Commission which governs fleet logistics and strategy. The Polemarch oversees the Flag officers of each of the Orders. The Orders are the divisions of the Armada and the forces therein. Each Order has a purpose, and there are two types of Orders.

There are 6 Imperial Orders, originally 5 which were commanded by the grown sons of Balazar the Blessed, and one added with the Malluman repartnership:

The 1st Order is granted the Honor of having both the Lord High Protector as its Admiral and the 12 Justiciar Fleets in its thrall. The 1st Imperial Order is tasked with the defense of the Capital system and to act as a task force for the orders of the Imperial government. It's first Chapter of Marines and first fleet division is set up as the Custodian Guard, meant to keep guard for the Sage Council. The current Admiral and Lord High Protector is the IL series Artificial intelligence Red Shade.
The other 12 divisions are under the command of the Justiciars issued as Legates of the Sages, sent to officiate their commands to the Empire. They will link up with the other orders for extended missions.

The 2nd Imperial Order is called 'The Hammer Fleet' for it is the invader, the conqueror, and the reclaimer. It is under the Command of Grand Admiral Thor II with the Admiral Atat IV as his right hand and Admiral Paul as his left hand. Since Thor II serves as the Polemarch of the fleet as well, Admirals Atat and Paul often run more of the true logistics of the Order, though Thor keeps a close eye on things with the Beaucephalus. Of the 30 fleets 6 are honored as the elite for their service under the 6 Vice Admiral dynasties which have arisen in them. These are Thor's main line.

The 3rd Order is "The Dishonored" due to the actions of Octavian I during the 1st War of Haman succession. His loss and banishment to be Proprietor of Tao lead to his followers maintaining the 3rd Order alongside their Grand Armad. That title has passed down the family to the now senile and near dead Grand Admiral Octavian II who would prospectively pass it to his cloneborn son Octavian III, but has not made it expressly clear, thus leaving the Admiral succession for the 3rd Order open. They have earned back their honor as a fleet by serving as diligent border patrol.

The 4th Imperial order is under the command of Admiral Gol Forchenko, and under him and his predecessors the 4th Order has served as an expeditionary fleet, paving the way for the 1st and 2nd as it investigated other powers. It is often equipped with the most distant jumping vessels.

The 5th Imperial Order serves as the Merchant-Guard. Under the command of Admiral Job Costanza, pirate raids and spatial anomalies are protected against, and fair practice in shipping and economics is allowed to continue thanks to the diligence of the 5th Order.

The 6th Order was created after the 9 month war, as a way to repatriate and recognize the true skill of the Malluman leaders. Fjkthr was made the Admiral of this Order, and the Imperator of the Mallumans remains the Admiral of the 6th Order to this day, Tarya'Natar Phoee is in command. Most clans will join this Order's Chapters or those of the 2nd or 1st. The Commission often sends the more Malluman acting of the Malluman officers to this Order where they will be more at ease and able to understand their men. The 6th often sends various Chapters to serve alongside the 1st and 2nd Orders, when it acts on its own it is mainly as an extension of the 3rd's border control.

The Malluman Auxiliaries:
---- The Malluman Clans being the military forces they are, we could not afford to let them go to waste, as idle hands make ill. Thus the Malluman clans were encouraged to set up Chapters of their own, which we would make into Auxiliary units of soldiers to serve in the fleet. Many Malluman Viziers and Captain-Generals come out of these ranks. There are near 1000 Malluman Auxiliary units.
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Organization of the Orders in terms of Manpower:

Imperial Orders are divided Fleetwise into Chapters, each of which has 100 Companies of 100 marines.
1st Order has 13 Chapters (The Custodian and the 12 Justiciar)
2nd Order has 30 Chapters
3rd Order has 5 Chapters
4th Order has 10 Chapters
5th Order has 10 Chapters
6th Order has 12 Chapters

The Malluman Auxiliary Chapters have up to 120 Companies each with 200 Malluman Marines.

[Lotrabme]

The Marines are the Soldiers of the Armada forces. Hamans and Mallumans alike serve as Marines but the Malluman marines are more likely to be Auxiliaries outside of the 6th Imperial Order. Among the Imperial Orders there is a code of Haman Marine Knighthood which is observed and practiced.

There are 3 types of Marines, Crews, Neos, and Hemos.

The Crews are not true Marines. Often of the rank of Ensign or Adjunct they are either applying to become a Marine, or are going to serve as ship maintainers hence their name. They outnumber the Neos and Hemos by an order of 10 to 1. Those Adjuncts who remain in the commission will continue to serve as ship's crew, and will maintain the ship they are stationed on for most of their lives alongside the Noah of the vessel.

The Neos are 'New Marines', and are by far the most numerous. They have undergone rigorous training to achieve their position and their armor, mechsuite armor which is durable and battle ready, as well as their standard ship-crew uniform. Those Crews who are inducted as Neos are given the rank of Lieutenant and made an Errant Marine of their order, granting them the ability to receive either solo or team missions in combat and to carry them out as agents of the Armada.

The Hemo's are more specialized than their Neo compatriots. The 1st Company of every Haman Chapter in an Order is made up of its most elite forces, and these 100 of each Chapter undergo genetic and cybernetic modification to become super-soldiers. Their name means Blood-Marine, they are genetic members of the Order henceforth and are on permanent dispatch.

All marines despite having a somewhat independent set of Commanders are non-commissioned and thus are answerable to members of the Armada Commission, same as each Noah of every vessel and all of their adjuncts are answerable to the Commission as well. Every merchant guilds-man is also answerable to the Commission who maintain security and logistics for the vessels of the Mind Empire.

[Lotrabme]

This flowing diagram should assist. The Clergy no longer have direct control over territories in the Mind Empire (never did as this is somewhat of a re-write, though that does not exclude them from holding power there, they simply were not the dejure heads in most cases.)

Legal Order Magistrates:
Executive authority descends by appointment from the Sage Council:
World-Governor/World-Controller: Planetwide executive, can be inherited or elected. Each planet possesses one who is assisted by a Control-brain AI. Governor is the title appropriated by leaders of Populated planets, resource planet leaders have the status of Controller, which in populated worlds is a deputy of the Governor.
Prefects: Provincial executive, can be inherited or elected. These are considered the more 'basic' units of governance on Haman worlds. Appropriate parallels are made on the homeworlds of the Nebulans and Mallumans.
Mayors: Community executive, usually elected or appointed via community policy.

Flowing up, representation plays a key role. At the Mayoral level communities will elect Public Representatives to speak to the Prefect, at whos level the communities shall organize Provincial Representatives to speak to the World Governor, who will in turn have a delegation which is elected for their merit to represent their people at the Reverie (our Representative Assembly) Each Province in truth is permited to attend the Reverie, but usually only Planetary Delegations and a few key provinces attend due to resource strain, as they are locally selected.

Celestine Order Hierarchy:

This being the priestly casement, their authority descends from the Sage Council.

The Sage Council is advised by the College of High Clerics, who are 120 of the most learned Grand Masters of the psychic schools. They are the veterans of the Monastic system which helps to maintain both the government and psychic education.
Each Planet or Key Province is granted a Prelate appointed by the High Clerics. This Prelate, often likened to a Bishop, serves to monitor the local abbeys and populace for psychic activity and possibly heresy. Also serves to met out justice locally, an appeals judge of sorts, and on behalf of the Sages Monitor their Governors and Prefects.
Then there is the Abbott and the Priors, who are located infrequently across the Mind Empire, setting up wherever they find suitable. They must defer to the Prelate's decisions, which are usually decided from above.
Abbots and Priors tend to be local, whereas the Prelates are often appointed and originate on Hame.
Below the Abbott and Priors are the Vicars, who preach and monitor locally.

[Lotrabme]

There is in the Mind Empire an officially and unofficially recognized Fifth Race. They are known as the Ombroj. For reasons which must be discussed in detail they are a controversial but essential part of the framework of the Empire and its history.


An unsuspecting Haman child with two un-suspicious Ombroj.

HISTORY

In evolutionary terms, the Ombroj are the more primitive twin to their more spindly cousins the Zuinilic (or Running-men as we have called them). If the Running-Men are cheetahs (for their speed), then the Ombroj are hyenas for their comparative strength and size. Another apt comparison would be Homo Sapiens (Running-Men) and Neanderthal (Ombroj).

The Running-men had an expansive Empire around the time of the Haman expanse into space, and with the aid of the Hades forces in those days they were crushed to the point of being forced into holdouts in unexplored corners of space. They proved to powerful a psychic wielding enemy to allow to live, and from the outset they had hatred of us. The Ombroj having lost their cousins took over their spaces rapidly. They did not however have the same form of unity under their warlords as the Running-Men had under their Autarchs. The Ombroj have also continued their trend of violence towards us.

It is by luck that over the proceeding 500 years some have chosen peace with us. Being nomadic and raiding and trading in nature, the Ombroj often become gypsy-esque vagrants in our space, and we allow it for it stems trade and exchange in legal matters. And well fed Ombroj are a deterrent against pillaging. However, the allies we have among them are a minority compared to the vast number of indifferents and hungry raiders looking to survive via piracy. 3 major wars and other engagements have proven their tenacity for violence.

POLITICS

The Ombroj have no central political authority, and not all of this race has chosen to take our side. Each Warlord can claim descent or association from one of 19 tribes of Ombroj, tribes which are only connected via blood and vague alliances which can be shaken but are the closest thing to cooperation the disparate nomad leaders can claim. Four of the nineteen have chosen full peace and cooperation with the mind Empire, and five others have chosen non-aggression but remain outside the fold. The four who have joined the Mind Empire have grown tremendously, swelling each to almost 1 billion Ombroj.

Of all the races the Ombroj become closest too, the Mallumans and the Nebulans seem to be it, the former simply for military association while the later through genuine cooperation and friendship in mercantile business. The Ombroj often serve as runners and defenders of supplies for the Hive Cartels. This is not to say the Hamans and Yorms do not find friends among the Ombroj, but the dealings between Nebulans and Ombroj are alarmingly high all things considered, and the Hamans work exceedingly hard to maintain equal wealth to the two in their Mercantilist-Capitalism.

MILITARY

These Celestial-Vikings have often been a thorn in the side of those they choose to pillage, and to have them on ones side is a great bonus. The Ombroj are celebrated for their craft- the Longship, which is both a great long range warship and a boarding craft, the largest ever (being almost 1 kilometer in length). Each warlord commands dozens if not hundreds of these ships, and is in times of Mind Imperial war latched on to a fleet of the Armada to serve as a naval auxiliary unit. They serve best as skirmishers and blockade runners.

In terms of infantry they do not serve as loyally as Hamans or Mallumans, but they serve just as brutally, and their numbers can be replenished as quick as the Mallumans. The real bonus of Ombroj still remains in their Naval capacity rather than their infantry, for they are only 5 feet in stature on average, the tallest seen being 6 feet. They are strong for their size however, and have a set of claws which can flay scaled skin.

TERRITORY

The Ombroj being migrants and wanderers do not claim any homeland solidly. There are several systems which we have association with from them but cannot claim because they are hostile territory where the Ombroj combat each-other regularly, or their remains hideouts of the Runningmen. Their homeworld is of particular note, for our landing on it signified our winning of a 'capture the flag' type war that allowed the Ombroj to view us with more respect. This move ended the 3rd Ombroj war.

[Lotrabme]

These pictures are drawings and outlines for Ships and Uniforms at use either presently or in the past in the mind Empire.

Ships:


Haman Uniform and Armor:


Malluman Uniform and Armor: