Guardian Proclaimation
The Guardian Proclaimation was a statement of purpose issued by Wurth Harkin and promulgated by other founders of the Cobalt Protectorate - later of the Harkinite Expedition - before they retreated into deep space for purposes unknown. In short, the Guardian Proclaimation was a statement of purpose set forth for Evermornans and all other human and human-descended species in the Sealed Kingdoms Region to come together and protect one another in the face of a hostile universe.
Document Structure
Clauses
The preamble of the Guardian Proclaimation is an affirmation of the founders' philosophy that all human-like sentiences have intrinsic moral value and, thus, should be offered all the protections afforded thereto as set forth in the Code of Evermorn should they choose to accept them. Harkin goes on to explain that, over the course of centuries exploring the cosmos, he and his crew have come across countless examples of humanoid civilizations that never got the opportunity to rise to a spacefaring existence in the same way that Evermornans did. Whether through famine, environmental catastrophe, inter-species warfare, or the intervention of outside sentiences thet could hardly have countered, each of these ancient civilizations has disappeared with their stories untold except through their ruins and bones. This state of affairs saddened the founders, as they could never meet these people, could never offer them help or solace, and could never hope to tell the galaxy what they had learned in their brief existances under alien stars so far from their home worlds. This state of affairs is undesireable and, as the Proclaimation states, it is now within the power of humanoid nations like the Protectorate to help resolve them.
The Proclaimation goes on to state that, as the most advanced and powerful spacefaring humanoid nation, the Cobalt Protectorate's moral duty is to go forth and find these scattered brothers and sisters of humanity and either bring them under their protection or, if nothing can be done or protection is refused, seek to preserve their history and culture should the worst come to pass. For species that cannot make such a decision due to limited technological level, the Protectorate should keep a silent overwatch over the fledgeling culture until it is ready to interact with interstellar visitors as near-peers. This should not be interpreted to mean that the Protectorate should seek to extend authority over these cultures, interfere with their affairs beyond preventing extinction, or force them into joining, but it should mean that each civilization should be given the chance to flourish and, with time, become part of the broader interstellar community. For itself, the Protectorate should also seek to preserve its own culture, history, and technology, as it has been proven that extinction could come from unexpected places and at unexpected times; indeed, the Chitiquish had almost extinguished the Evermornans, once, and it was only chance that things panned out differently.
The Proclaimation ends with the founders explaining that it is time that they leave on their own journey, as extending their own influence over the Protectorate is, itself, stifling the Protectorate's own drives for innovation and growth. They state that they will be watching from a distance to make sure that the Protectorate stays safe and, just as importantly, stays true to its principles. The Guardian Proclaimation ends with a statement that the founders love their people like proud parents and will hold them in their hearts no matter how far away they might be unto the very end of time itself.
Legal status
As many of the founders are considered 'living saints' of Ancestral Patronism, the Guardian Proclaimation carries the cultural and religious cachet of sacred writ in some circles. More importantly, the Proclaimation reinvigorated the Cobalt Knights and spurred the creation of numerous official organizations within the Protectorate designed to handle specific subgoals set forth within the Proclaimation, such as the Evermorn Strategic Colony Initiative.
Type
Decree, Governmental
Location
Authors
Signatories (Characters)
Signatories (Organizations)
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