In the Pact, there is a place made for everyone and everyone should be in their place.
Overview
The ValuSelu Pact is an accord between the Sazashi Nations of Jhoutai. After ages of infighting over every conceivable thing, the Sazashi banded together to raise their hackles against the rise of the other Banners. This Pact, while necessary to protect Sazashi Independence, is often uneasy.
Core Philosophy
The driving factor behind the Pacts ideology is biological. Sazashi have Akjhe, their word for the biological programming the Verin encoded into them. The Sazashi embrace Akjhe as the core of their strength. Ka labor, Parisan protect, Aen perfect, and so forth. There is room for all other Sophont in the Pact, but all others feel out of place without the Sazashi's core drive that makes their society work.
Ancient History
The Sazashi were engineered for servitude and survival by the Verin several millennia ago. The Verin needed a race with the adaptability to survive on the harsh mainland of Jhoutai. The Verin garnered subservience by engineering Akhje into the Sazashi; giving each sub-race a physiological reward for serving their programmed purpose. One by one, the sub-races of Sazashi were created and shipped to the mainland to fend for themselves. Survival came within months, thriving colonies boomed within years. A revolution brewed within the Sazashi, their Akhje did not smother their drive for independence. So they lashed out and beat the Verin away from the mainland, claiming it for themselves in the Sazashi Revolution.
The bloody conflict left them independent, but it did not unify the Sazashi kinds. Many sub-races split off to claim their own lands, carving borders and erecting governments that served their Akhje. Millennia of internal conflict followed the Sazashi wherever they traveled, each sub-race had its version of a perfect world. The two most powerful nations, Aempis of the Aen and Valuser'rh of the Sheljt-Rajh vied for domination of Jhoutai until they tossed aside their differences in the face of a greater threat.
The Church of The Somnolent, the Apple of Hedonism, and the Jupiter Syndicate had sprung up as universal super-powers. Leaders of the Sazashi nations realized that they stood to lose if they did not band together. King Clasnithra of Aempis and Grandmaster Setejnius of Valuser'rh set forth to bring together the nations of the Sazashi under a single Banner. With all the leaders of the Sazashi nations in attendance, the final ValuSelu Pact was ratified and the Banner of the same name was formed.
We are all entering an era where we can no longer stand as Sheljt-Rajh or Aen, Parisan or Ka. If we are to maintain our countless years of pride and tradition, we must all stand as Sazashi! Where our Akhje used to tear us asunder, it will now band us together so no opponent may ever trample us again!
Modern History
Sazakjhe
With the unification of nations came the need to find a new political target. The Pact needed a goal to keep them together, lest they fall back into squabbling and skirmishing. The leaders of the nations came together to find a solution. They left the room with the idea of "Sazakjhe." This doctrine held that the Sazashi's natural ability to survive justified spreading their people to the stars and claiming as many planets as possible.
They entered an age of space travel unlike any before. Colony Ships were constructed by the dozens and sent to any planet that the Sazashi could reasonably survive on. This Doctrine gave the Sazashi a purpose to focus on and established the foundation of colonies being handled by individual nations instead of the Banner itself.
Lacuna
When the Wayhalls shut, Jhoutai was left stranded without it’s colonies. Nations which had once allied to fend against the universe as a whole were left to fend against each other. Infighting became commonplace and skirmishes for what little land remained almost tore the entire ValuSelu Pact apart.
Many Sazashi placed blame on the other Banners for the disaster, and turned their anger to the non-Sazashi in their midst. Millions of Verin and Humans were forced from the cities to live in the Barrens. These towns were notorious for high-crime, and were only dissolved a decade after the Wayhalls reopened. The era of injustice against non-Sazashi is referred to as thePact segregation: Tjhon-sazashiFalgu-oan and is still whispered by other Banners when dealing with the Pact.
Expansion
The Sazashi burst through the wayhalls the month they returned to life, eager to reclaim and reorganize their holdings. Infighting between the nations ceased and reclamation of lost planets began. Many Pact colonies survived the Lacuna, the Sazashi were engineered to survive, after all. The Pact claims any planet still livable, establishing a nation as its government and sending Colony ships to regrow their numbers. Every planet adds to the defense, and to the Pact’s power.
Government
The fact of the matter is I'm really good at making beer. I'm a Parisan, it's what I do. My Aen friend over there, he's really good at running the treasury. He does what he does best, and I do what I do best. That's why the Pact works.
Politics of Jhoutai
The Pact's homeworld of Jhoutai may be united under one Banner, but underneath that Banner lay the countries that have held consistent for millennia. Each country holds its own laws and traditions but contributes to the same Banner-wide military, treasury, and government. This independence and cooperation highlight both the Sazashi's inherent strengths and weaknesses.
Some countries boast economies that can fuel the entire planet; others have armies able to defend against any conceivable foe. The ValuSelu Pact brings these nations together, letting all shine brighter under a unified cause, "Glory and Gold for All"
The Emblem of the Pact, representing a Sazakraht surrounded by the ten hands of the Sazashi Kinds.
Statistics
Sophont Diversity
Human | 8% |
Sazashi | 82% |
Verin | 7% |
Other | 3% |
Primary Languages
Saza | 84% |
Aeai | 7% |
Other | 9% |
Mantras
Survival is the first step to success.
Never be complacent, always find ways to push your Akhje further.
Ensure everyone has their purpose, as perfection requires unity.
Awesome work from Ethnis! As always. :) Going to make the rest of us feel like we have to step up out game! They're an interesting bunch and the article is well put together. I always like the "best and worst" and faction relationship bits on the size bar. The quotes are great and really tell a story, in each and every one of them. Here's some first notes. "In the Pact there is a place made for everyone and everyone should be in their place." - This is a great tone-setting quote for the rest of the article. I might put a comma after pact, though! ""Glory and Gold for All" in Sazasharanare, the tongue of the Sazashi, the Valuselu Pact is an accord between the Sazashi Nations of Jhoutai." This sentence is a little bit confusing: what is in that tongue, exactly? Also the s in Selu is small! "There is room for all other Sophont in the Pact, but Humans and Verin always feel a little out of place without the Sazashi's core drive that makes their society work." - Is there any sophont that absolutely don't work in the Pact? Maybe add some space between the quote and the "Politics of Jhoutai" header under government? "Jhoutai, the Pacts homeworld, may be united under one Banner, but underneath that Banner lay the countries that have held consistent for millennia." This sentence might read smoother if you got rid of some of the commas, maybe by putting it like "The pacts homeworld of Jhoutai may be..."? "With the unification of nations, came the need to find a new political target." - that comma seems unnecessary? "Many outside of the Pact would be quick to denounce our Akhje as a racist and oppressive element of our being." Hmm.. I'm not sure racist is the right word to use. Other then that, I really like this quote as good cool flavor. The faction relationship: aren't the other ones written from more of a 3rd person view? This one is more from a first person opinion. Is the different intentional?
Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and many others.
Sorry it took me so long to get to this! Life has been right crazy! I implemented your suggestions, good eye! As for the last bit, we are experimenting having the relationships with other factions as a sort of... dialogue to the other. I'm curious which you find better?
Glad you found it useful!! :D Hmm.. It depends on what you are aiming for as an outcome: information or flavor? Dialogue for flavor, third-person view for info is my kneejerk reaction :)
Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and many others.