Serpentum Imperium
Introduction
The Serpentum Imperium (Formally referred to as Tribunal Imperium and rarely the Dominion) is the continuation of the Varanus state after the rediscovery and gradual recolonization of the previously lost worlds of the northern rim of the galaxy. Hailing from the remnants of the 1st Legion and the Starfleet, the Imperium is a militarist republic that acts as a beacon of civilization in an otherwise barren and ruined part of the galaxy, wrestling with their lost legacies while maintaining the goal of their founding ideology, the Sa’stan and the goals of its citizens the Sastani.The Prime Tribunal and the Voices
The Imperium is governed by two effective governments, the Prime Tribunal ruling from their mighty spires which consists of a council of the highest-ranking Military Officials from both the army and fleet named the Kara and a collection of clerics of the Five patron gods of the Varanus named the Vogala. The Tribunal maintains executive authority over all institutions of the Imperium and votes upon issues with the oversight of the Keeper who has veto powers over the two factions. The Civil Council/Forum (often referred to as the Voices Council) consists of representatives of Sastani/citizens and special interest groups often in the form of the various factional guilds like the Exchange and the Frontier voted upon by the citizens to represent their concerns and goals. These individuals maintain constant dialogue with the civil institutions of the Imperium and often gather in large scale forum meetings to address the Authorat, a specially appointed overseer of civilian matters who then presents the issues of highest priority to the Tribunal Council and approves of decisions that align with the priorities set by the Tribunal. Most of the day-to-day decision making of the Imperium is resolved by its citizens and the Authorat in the civil council.Culture
While dominated by the culture of the draconic reptilian Varanus the Imperium very much contrasts its previous iterations through the gradual assimilation of other species, most notably those of Terran and Rhacodan creating a cultural mix that defines the communal identity of 'Imperials/Sastani.
The culture of contemporary citizens within the Imperium is largely shaped by intersections of each citizen species own cultural norms primarily shaped within the Varanus context of understanding creating a mix value that works in harmony through the efforts of the Imperium's promotion of a collective memory. For example Human/Terran values often have a mix of liberal and conservative principles but more often than not does support an idea of individual liberty, the Varanus on the other hand also support the idea of liberty but one that has to be earned rather than guaranteed, the contemporary Imperium in this regard provides a path based on the ruling Varanus principle through the 'Ushar' (Voice) system where individuals earn the right to speak their mind to the authorities without fear of reprisal after a period of service for the state.
This example is one of many where other species within the state has their cultural values shaped to fit the dominant Varanus principles and to promote the xenophilic multicultural assimilation that has seen the Imperium thrive.
Public Agenda
The Imperium is founded on the principle of the Sa'stan, a ideological concept of the Varanus that holds the responsibility that mandates the venerable Varanus and their civilization act as a guide to other species and enforce a unified peace under the policies of the Imperium. The means of which to achieve this ideology however changes based on the approach and understanding of the ruling party. Under the Emperor the Sa'stan applied only to the Varanus, enforcing the will of the royal crown and maintaining a isolationist stance in galactic affairs, under the Viscount the principle was extended to the ruined Northern galaxy and it's species, progressing outsider species like Humans into positions of power as they were integrated fully into the star-nation.
Today the Sa'stan is broken into two interpretations by the Tribunal, the military council wishes to expand the power and reach of the empire to regain it's lost glory and to ensure that they will always have a hand in the affairs and defense of the galaxy as a whole, the Clerical powers on Drakenhelm however believe that it's the responsibility of the Imperium to heal what was lost, particularly during the extinction and the clerics openly research and study the glow in an attempt to restore the lost forms of the Varanus species such as the Winged Kah of old. In addition the Keeper maintains cooperation between these two factions but also expands this peacemaking attitude throughout the state itself, the Imperium while a significant military power loathes wielding it and much of the Imperium's efforts lie in maintaining a peaceful status quo, the so called 'Keepers Peace' that aims to end the cycle of conflict that the Varanus found themselves in.
The Species and State faced near extinction with the Acheron Crisis and to counteract the threat of the Varanus facing extinction at least from a material level is through the strategy of Shar'Groi "or Layered Expansion where the colonies of the Imperium are considered and settled based on the defensive capabilities it provides to the core worlds and the nearby systems, colonial settlers are often ex-military members or those of the Halor (citizen militias) and most settlements are constructed around military forts meant to both deter attack and act as the beachhead for further military expansions. This strategy aims to make the the colonies a web of defenses meant to wear down any conventional invasion of the wider Imperium. The military elite greatly support this strategy to further expand both the Imperium's population and it's defense against existential threats.
The Varanus are notable diplomats and the Imperium often acts as a intermediary alongside Concord to maintain their Keepers Peace outside of their actual borders, the Imperium also maintains a network of agents, spies and mercenaries that allow the state to eliminate problematic elements that endanger the Keepers Peace and to prevent the deployment of the Imperium's military in avoidable conflicts.
History
The Elders recount that long before the Varanus reached the Milky Way the clans and houses were united by the singular banner and authority of the Imperium even from its days of being ruled under the Imperos functionally an aristocratic monarchy barely kept together by the Viscount after the Imperos was lost in the HELIX War. History would see the Imperium functionally end with the Cataclysm only to return years later at the hands of the last surviving vestige of the Varanus state, the first and last legion of the old empire. This vestige recolonized the lost worlds, rebuilt the lost cities and under the guidance of the Keeper and his Tribunal the Imperium was reborn in name and function but forever changed. No longer bound to the aristocratic high houses, no longer bound by caste or by an Imperos but instead by the promise of a brighter future in the dark led by those who prove their loyalty and worth through service and sacrifice.
Since it's restoration the Imperium has slowly been restoring their domain, rediscovering their lost history and culture and keeping close vigil on their southern enclave in Drakenhelm, remaining isolated from the affairs of their neighbors until the onset of the Xarqiin war forced their dormant military to intervene.
Territories
The Imperium encompasses around 90 systems. Among those the most well-known are:
New Serpentum (Administrative Capital, has a spire)
Drakenhelm (Cultural Capital, has a spire)
Argatu (Military training world)
Gensa (Agricultural World)
Turun (Extraction and Forge world)
Xu’la (Research Hub)
Jesor
Guerre (Refinery Hub)
Farnin (Primary Naval Anchorage)
Lux Donum
Technological Level
Among the civilizations that are established in the galaxy, the Imperium are considered to be one of the most advanced known, at their peak in their home galaxy they would have been considered a type 2 civilization on the Kardashev scale and has since then regressed into a near type 2 civilization following the loss of much intellectual capital and history since their arrival in the Milky Way.
Despite having a slew of exotic technologies compared to other interstellar powers, one wholly unique aspect not seen among the other civilizations is the Imperium’s insistence of analog-based technologies over digital ones, preferring decentralized systems of modular closed loop interfaces that interact with their data spheres which are self-contained spherical human-head sized computers capable of complex processing and storage. Despite the centralized nature of their government and how it administers authority to the solar systems in its control, the lack of centralized networks to enforce control like other civilizations do has the Imperium instead rely on a network of data couriers to control the flow of information. Part of this decentralized network is designed around the fear of it’s abuse by an external superintelligence such as the Helix AI, the removal of a central network has made the Imperium’s data security among the highest in the known galaxy, with any one single breach incapable of crippling the civilization at large.
Most of their direct technology is often hand-crafted by Varanus engineers that blur the line between engineering prowess and mystical arts using directed drone systems controlled by their data spheres to produce large degree of materials by hand.
Religion
With the clergy holding representative power in the Prime Tribunal it's not suprising that the faith of the Varanus is endorsed as an official state religion. The Vo'kum (or The Five) is a organized religion of five sects each representing a draconic deity that encapsulates certain qualities of existance, though since Drakenhelm discovery and that of the existance of other dragons besides the five legendary ones the tenants and understanding of the faith have undergone reforms that now understand dragonkind as an ascended existance of the Varanus and all dragon-blooded species. The Vo'Kum faith is strongest on Drakenhelm and New Serpentum with the former being home to vast temple complexes where the Vogala or High Clerics hold absolute power.
Varanus are expected to cling to the official religion yet the spread of the faith is not as encouraged among other species, as a result the Imperium is home to several other faiths brought by their other citizen species and client races, with Humans being the second largest population in Varanus space they have brought with them a myriad of religious followings from Abrahamic faiths such as Christianity, Islam and Judaism to Hinduism, Buddhism and many more obscure faiths with a signifigant portion of Humans being irreligious as a whole. The Imperium's cultural spirtuality encourages pursuits of faith and often draws pilgrims seeking greater meaning outside of more secular planetary states. The largest religion among Imperial Humans is Buddhism or neo-Buddhism that combines aspects of Varanus religious culture with traditional Buddhist teachings.
Despite their religious freedom the Varanus actively oppose any principle that worships machines, artificial intelligence and artificially made constructs. This opposition includes arrests of prospective preachers, exile and in some cases executions undertaken in secret black sites. Groups such as the The Intertwined while yet unknown by most of the Imperium would be seen as a threat to the social order and forbidden to exist upon Imperial planets.
Foreign Relations
Galactic Systems Union: The relationship between the ruling Varanus and the humans of the GSU stretches back to their cooperation during the Helix War and subsequent acknowledgement of the Imperium's authority and claims in the Northern Galaxy, while the Viscount maintained cordial relations with the GSU it was often distant and isolated from expanding beyond a mutual respect for each other's authority. The Acheron Crisis while ignored by the old empire was answered by the 1st Legion who were quick to support what they considered allies, as the current iteration of the Imperium has evolved from the 1st Legion it has inherited the same degree of cooperation with the humans of Terra, Chorus and Outreach. The Tribunal fear that any hostile conflict with the GSU might be too costly even if the Imperium succeeds in occupying the Concord Sector and by the Keeper's suggestion pursues an strategy of mutual prosperity and security to safeguard Drakenhelm from a potentially belligerent GSU from shared development projects to establish trade between the two powers to military co-development of new technologies all in the effort to further the relationship in the hopes to deter unnecessary warfare.
The Independent Monarchies: While never having directly met the Queens of Nightblood the Varanus diplomats had made cordial contact with the Vampire Counts through diplomatic dinners and the Werewolf Alpha through a hunt. Some trade agreements exist with the Monarchies but the insular nature of the highest authorities within the Monarchies make the establishment of higher relations difficult.
Agriculture & Industry
The Imperium maintains a hybrid economy driven by extensive state-controlled guilds working alongside market-driven corporations. The core worlds of the Imperium are highly reliant on resources extracted from its frontiers to maintain a sustainable economy with the limitations placed on resource extraction on their developed worlds. This geographical stratification of the economy is part of the Sa’stan doctrine of building sanctuaries of civilization that maintain a balance between urban sprawl and the biosphere of its world. This comes with a need for an extensive logistical network between the developed systems of the empire and that of its frontier planets and makes worlds that are designed around refining and manufacturing particularly vulnerable to interruptions of that supply chain, a fact the Imperium utilizes to control outlying systems.
While having a large industry of scale, the Imperium particularly it’s Varanus patrons prefer hand crafted materials and reflect this through the design of their technology often hand-crafted following meticulously designed blueprints over mass produced templates, this deliberate approach does make their industry much slower and smaller in scale compared to the GSU. This however is balanced by a handful of human-driven corporations that compete with one another for expansive contracts of Varanus-designs to produce some of their iterations at a mass-scale allowing the Imperium to keep up with the GSU but never outproduce it.
The economical reality of the Imperium can almost be split into two worlds, the developed cores and the frontier, both reliant upon one another to sustain the Imperium. The core being the cultural, administrative and hubs for secondary and tertiary industries. While the frontier is designed around extraction and refinement of materials until the planets themselves develop to the point that they are absorbed into the web of core worlds.
One lesser-known aspect of the frontier economy to the outsider civilizations is the large amount of penal labour conducted by massive prison freighters that scour the space of the empire, mining asteroids and ship graveyards for materials to pay off their sentences, each of these freighters are effectively small cities governed by their wardens without the oversight of the civil government as often the prisoners condemned to these ships are those the government would rather forget.
From desolation, prosperity
Founding Date
2696
Type
Geopolitical, Empire
Alternative Names
The Third Imperium, Tribunal Imperium
Demonym
Serpentite/Imperial
Leader
Head of State
Government System
Gerontocracy
Power Structure
Unitary state
Economic System
Mixed economy
Currency
Dagbarium Coins (Formerly)
Galactic Credits (Currently)
Legislative Body
The Prime Tribunal and the Civil Council
Judicial Body
The High Judges of the clergy
Executive Body
The Tribunal Council
Official State Religion
Subsidiary Organizations
Official Languages
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
