Osprian Dominate
Overview
The Osprian Dominate is a star nation within the central region of Sector A1-0 bound in traditions & rituals of honour. Serving as an interstellar example of hereditary timocracy, the Dominate is a long-standing star nation with a unique social structure that shapes every aspects of its citizens’ prosperous lives on tens of thousands of worlds.
Government
The Osprian Dominate is an unconventional parliamentary constitutional monarchy with mazes of honourbound traditions. The Domirax, colloquially translated as Emperor, is not a mere ceremonial monarch, but one with elaborate executive powers and the manifestation of the 10,000-year old Skavirian dynasty. The Emperor, Rokhorro XXI, is deemed the central authority not only in politics, but also honour.
Under the monarch serves the High Court of Prelates, known as the Prelature. The Prelature serves as the executive branch with officials appointed by the Osprian legislature. These Prelates are appointed separately and hold office so long as they can assume the confidence in the legislature. Each Prelate presides over a Prelacy in charge of the administration of government departments similar to ministries. The head of the Prelature is known as the Chancellor who is appointed by the monarch and confirmed by the legislature.
The legislature of the Osprian Dominate is the Dominate Senate. It is a unicameral legislature where representatives are elected through preferential voting. Each Estate (equivalent to fiefdom or state) elects only one Senator, but their vote is proportional to their constituent estate’s population & size. Only members of the honourbound aristocracy, known as the Gentry, are eligible to be elected. Consequently, one can become part of the Gentry through merit recognised by local Honour Councils. As such, the Senate doesn’t have any standing political factions and instead consists of direct representatives.
The Dominate Senate on Oraka.
Dominate law is ultimately supervised over by the Supreme Honour Tribunal which oversees not only the constitution, but also the Code of Honour. The Tribunal serves as the highest judicial authority and consists of the High Arbiters, appointed by the monarch and confirmed by the Senate.
Culture
The Osprians evolved from apex flightless birds on the vast savannas of their homeworld Oraka and continue to maintain their dominion across all the worlds they colonise. However, what truly characterises the Osprians is their honourable culture that stands proudly unlike anything else seen in the Sector, giving birth to a meritocratic nobility through elaborate codes of honour. Central to this is the ancient Code of Honour, stipulated by the first Emperor Kaelrix’thar, which codified the honour systems into a universal one. When one is gentrified, the suffix -thar is added to their given name which is the equivalent of Sir or Lady within Terran cultures.
The Code of Honour consists the so-called 9 Springs of Honour:
- Loyalty: To remain loyal to one’s community and its Gentry if they follow the Code of Honour. Thus, domestic aggressors towards fellow Osprians should not be followed, as the ultimate community is that of the Osprian species.
- Courage: To take initiative within one’s field and pursuing a general form of guardianship of one’s community. This also extends to those who tarnish the honour code with malicious content and those disrespectful of fellow Osprians, as one should stand up to them as part of personal and collective integrity.
- Justice: To uphold the laws and customs of a community while respecting those of other communities when visiting.
- Benevolence: To uphold kindness to one’s community through empathy.
- Dignity: To respect for all dignified Osprians (those following the Code of Honour), including oneself. The actions of one single individual contribute to the overall dignity of the wider Osprian species. Those who denigrate other Osprians with malicious intent or harm others don’t deserve the same social reverence as the dignified and should be kept at a distance by all or rehabilitated. If they pose violent harm to fellow Osprians, they should be brought to justice, as prescribed by codified laws.
- Dedication: To pursue one’s path/specialisation through rigorous self-discipline and excelling at it. This doesn’t necessarily have to be martial.
- Integrity: To live up to the Code of Honour and one’s own morals, no matter the circumstances.
- Reputation: To maintain and improve the reputation of one’s family and clan. Should one bring unbearable shame, one may choose to repent for it and this varies depending on the Osprian cultures.
- Deference: To accept one’s role within society. Not only in civic matters, but also within a company or even family that typically ascribes to a specific gender.
Species
Osprians are a bipedal dioecious sapient avian species with slight sexually dimorphic characteristics. Naturally, the Osprians live up to 90 years, but thanks to widespread genetic prolongevity therapy, Osprian nowadays live up to 180 years. Furthermore, as the Osprians trotted across the stars, their many races diverged into several subspecies. These subspecies aren’t considered inferior by any measure, but an extension of the larger Osprian species. As such, the Osprian Dominate consists of a vast variety of Osprian offshoots each known for their peculiar appearances among which flourish the Skelarians, Korrathians, Kaeryxians & Nyxarians.
Osprian High Admiral, Rhakarrax’thar Cirrokh’Kiirna.
Due to strong bones and stolid feathers, the Osprians had little trouble to acclimatise to all corners of their homeworld and have proven remarkably versatile in their colonisation efforts, hunting on all kinds of prey with their heightened vision and depth perception. Osprian diet therefore is largely carnivorous, but the species can digest plants.
The Osprians are a monogamous species with a core family within the larger clan structure. This is reflected in their names with the first part being their family name and the second part that of their clan following matronymic patterns. E.g. the Shiro’Tronik surname means the individual is part of the Shiro family within the Tronik clan. Clan structures are highly hierarchical, with one dominant family overseeing the social affairs of the extended family. These central families often bear the prefix Tik as the first part of their surname (e.g. Tik’Tronik) to denote their primacy within the clan. Typically, these clan structures have distinct patriarchal and matriarchal roles, but these may vary depending on the Osprian culture. Notably, these social norms have become vastly more liberal than what ancient Osprians were accustomed to.
A Skelarian mother and her chicks.
Religion
Osprian religions are largely decentralised and shrouded in shamanism. Honour still plays an important role and is personified as starlight. As a rite of passage, Osprians are given a Star Crystal that represents their shining honour. These mystical crystals wane and shine depending on one’s merits, emanating their status according to the Code of Honour.
Skraishenism is the predominant strand of Osprian religions with roughly 58% of the population following this creed. The remainder follow faiths with similar doctrines.
History
The Osprian Dominate finds its roots in thousands of years or rich history on their homeworld of Oraka. The stars had always called to the Osprians as the embodiment of honour and the sprawling Osprian nations didn’t hesitate to flock to the stars. Yet, the new realities of governing a juvenile star nation proved quarrelsome with the discovery of the exotic mineral known as Skrailite. This mineral transformed Osprian society into a true star nation with the manipulation of gravitoelectromagnetic fields, allowing not only for artificial gravity, but also faster-than-light travel. This newly found application sparked the Stellar Flock, spreading numerous Osprian colonists across new independent nations.
As the colonies developed their own cultures, they began to clash with the ancestral ones from Oraka. Brutal conflicts arose and the Osprian civilisation faced extinction again in a maze of honourbound bureaucracy. It was under the leadership of Kaelrix’thar Kair’Skorr that the Great Unification reunited all Osprians under one rule in 10,362 BBT. The birth of the Osprian Dominate saw the return of widespread nobility in a manner unseen across the galaxy. The Osprian nobility is notably characterised not by mere birthright, but by the concept of honourhood following the Osprian Code of Honour, stipulated by the first Domirax Kaelrix’thar I Skavir. Osprian society reforged in such a way, that all aspects of life became honourbound with deeply traditional roots. Although ascribing the same honour, some Osprian races continue to emphasise the collective honour over that of the individual. Even democratic legislatures reformed, now known as Honour Councils, to not only govern, but to also grant Gentry to Osprians of great merit in all fields. In turn, members of the Gentry may be selected by the Osprian people to serve as representatives in the legislature or as governing nobility of the many constituent subdivisions of the Dominate.
Now, the Osprian Dominate stands as a proud & flourishing star nation with thousands of years of unity, prosperity, tradition & stability. An eidostate (a species-state) by design, the Osprian state aims to let the Osprian species flourish in all its forms. Although not dismissive of previous first contacts, the honourbound Osprians’ duties have largely kept them within the bounds of their dominion.
Economy
The Osprian economy is one following the principles of a social post-scarcity market with extensive social programs to guarantee a poverty-free life for all Osprians. Corporations enjoy major freedoms and are encouraged through fiscal policies to invest in the Dominate’s development. Megacorporations and arcologies characterise the modern Osprian economy, serving as its backbone. Additionally, the Osprian Dominate mandates its constituent estates to maintain certain sectors such as agriculture & space infrastructure to ensure each world remains sustainable.
The landscape on a typical Osprian planet.
Although its economy is largely based on planets, space infrastructure plays a key role in the Osprian economy. Goods are transported through large hauling companies which extensively use the stargate network to deliver them between worlds.
Osprian haulers leaving a space station.
Trade
The Osprian Dominate currently doesn’t maintain any significant trade relations with other star nations. However, some infrastructure in the fringes of the Dominate do exist. Although these are largely used as exploration hubs.
An Osprian trade station on its fringes.
Military
The Osprian military is overseen by the Council of Valour under one central command structure. The Empyrean Navy & Grand Army form the two main branches of the military with each specialised sub-branches. The Osprian military has developed alongside unique highly-advanced technology and is renowned for its honourable conduct.
Ground forces of the Grand Army are reliant on korrothium metal, of which the ores are found on fringes of the Shen Korrok Badlands (translated as Great Barrier), that disperses both kinetic & heat energy with remarkable efficiency and also amplifies personal shields. As such, the use of ranged weapons has largely been made redundant and melee combat has seen a resurgence within the Dominate’s military. Shield & lance formations have become common for the ground forces in an idiosyncratic irony.
Ships of the Empyrean Navy too, use korrothium as the basis for their ships. In terms of weaponry, the Dominate uses a vast arsenal ranging from antimatter missiles to long range particle lances. The vast Empyrean Navy is one of long-standing tradition and prowess against various nomadic species that threatened the Dominate. Rarely are its ships seen outside the Dominate’s borders with its primary role designated as defence.
Conflicts
The Osprian Dominate has enjoyed many millenia of peace, but occasionaly it has been the target of pirates & nomadic civilisations. These sporadic conflicts were typically short but frequent as few factions banded together with the exception of the Tebadine under Djamez Toghan who amassed the largest Star Horde known to the Osprians.
The most notable conflicts of the Osprian Dominate are:
- Corsair Wars (9,872 - 9,562 BBT)
- Veyrathian Wars (7,652 - 7,347 BBT)
- Khylarian Wars (5,762 - 4,672 BBT)
- Great Tebadine Crusade (2,926 - 2,267 BBT)
- Kharuun Wars (1,706 - 1,685 BBT)
FTL
Skrailite serves as the cornerstone of Osprian FTL technology. This has been adapted into two ways to travel faster than light: through a jumpdrive or stargates. Jumpdrives allows ships to freely travel interstellar distances while stargates accelerate all types of ships on a predetermined FTL route.
