Galactic Federation
Core Beliefs
“A healthy nation is a powerful nation.”
“True power lies in ideas, but cannons make ideas come true.”
Summary
The Galactic Federation is an authoritarian intergalactic superpower that values strength, national unity, and health. As of today, it entirely controls three solar systems and operates the largest navy in the galaxy. The Federation Navy actively searches for and utilizes powerful alien artifacts to bolster its might. To ensure the strength and health of their nation, the Federation authorities enforce a prohibition on rum, fatty foods, and pasta. They wage a long-lasting war against piracy, rum contraband, and a frivolous and unhealthy lifestyle.
History of the Federation
Victor the Conqueror
Ever since the discovery of space travel, the planets within the Polaris solar system had waged wars against each other. On the Tanaris planet, its ambitious ruler Chancellor Victor established an authoritarian regime and turned the society into a well-oiled war machine. In pursuit of power, he almost destroyed the wildlife on his planet and built the mightiest fleet the solar system has ever known. With this fleet, Victor easily conquered other planets and established the Tanaris Federation.
A Rising Superpower
During the Great Galaxy War, the Federation played a vital part in liberating the planets conquered by the Empire of the Holy Lance. The liberated planets welcomed the Federation as saviors and actively helped them against the Empire. But as soon as the Empire fell, the Federation refused to leave the liberated world. Victor asserted dominance over them, by the right of the conqueror. Those worlds, already devastated by the war, were not ready to fight another one and accepted the new rule. Thus, the Tanaris Federation grew beyond its solar system and became the Galactic Federation, with Victor memorized as its founding father.
Great Galaxy War
During the Great Galaxy War, the Federation saw to its benefit to ally with the Holy Lance Empire. They planned to divide the galaxy along with the Empire. The Empire, in turn, preferred not to mess with the Federation, believing them to be a force to be reckoned with. However, during a rebellion on one of the Federation’s distant moons, they suffered great losses. The Holy Lance Emperor Daemon got the impression that the Federation was weaker than it seemed. On top of that, the Federation was frequently using non-humans in their ranks, mainly Coggorts. As such, at the peak of the Holy Crusades expansion, Daemon Lance chose to violate his truce with Victor and attack the Federation.
“Healthy Nation” Agenda
During the Great Galaxy War, the Federation citizens lived a frivolous and unhealthy lifestyle, which hindered the Federation’s ability to recruit healthy sailors. After the war, the Federation made a major pivot in its politics and launched its “Healthy Nation” agenda. They prohibited unhealthy products, such as rum, fatty foods, and pasta, and arrested for the consumption of those. The majority of traders and manufacturers who relied on those products went bankrupt and began protesting. When these protests escalated into a rebellion, the Federation quelled it and trapped the rebels in an industrial space city. After a lengthy siege, they covered the city in toxic clouds killing everyone within, including civilians.
Project “Sonari”
Following their expansion across the galaxy, the Federation encountered sirens, cosmic beings with magical abilities. Sirens used to sing charming songs and cause sailors to collide with asteroids. Over time, however, some sirens and humans began falling in love with each other. Children born out of unity between humans and sirens were born human but inherited the innate siren magic abilities, such as manipulating objects and minds with the power of their voices. Realizing their high potential, the Federation launched their top-secret “Project Sonari” program aimed at identifying and recruiting the human-siren hybrids into the Federation Navy.
Galactic Federation Today
Government and Society
The Federation is an authoritarian regime governed by the Senate that resides on Tanaris. The Senate presides over other planets and solar systems, each governed by its representatives. The government controls all aspects of its citizens’ lives, including the food they eat, the books they read, the outfits they wear, and even their daily activities. The Federation citizens happily snitch on their neighbors when the latter deviate from the norms. However, not all Federation citizens are comfortable with these strict regulations. But any dissenting voices within the society risk being accused of collaborating with pirates and imprisoned.
Goals and Activities
The Federation puts great effort into fighting piracy. Controlling three entire solar systems makes it difficult to secure trade routes. The Federation uses these routes to transport powerful artifacts and technologies. They fear that if pirates lay their hands on them, they will sell them to other, hostile factions and species. The authorities have been hunting pirates for decades but see no end to them.
Empire of the Holy Lance
Core Beliefs
“Today they take your sails, tomorrow they’ll take your souls!”
“Solar Industries lights the galaxy for gold. The Holy Lance does the same for free.”
Summary
The Holy Lance was a huge empire that conquered almost the entire galaxy and one day disappeared without a trace. During its short reign, the Empire launched devastating Holy Crusades across the galaxy, aiming to eradicate all non-human species. The entire galaxy stood together to fight the imperial legions, a period in history known as the Great Galaxy War. Driven by the pursuit of power, its ambitious emperor Daemon Lance opened a gateway to another dimension. He triggered an anomaly that caused the whole Empire, along with its fleet, to vanish in an instant.
History of Stygians
Search for Immortality
The history of the Holy Lance traces back to Stygion, a planet where humanity’s relentless quest for immortality shapes its very civilization. According to the Stygian old legends, they were powerful immortal beings, until they fell from the grace of the benevolent Void Gods, also known as Demiurge. With the adoption of solar sails technology, Stygians had finally gained the ability to travel to space. Determined to find their lost legacy, Stygian explorers launched numerous expeditions across the galaxy. But instead of the Void Gods, they discovered ancient alien ruins filled with powerful magical artifacts. Even though these artifacts did not grant immortality, Stygian spacefarers learned to harness the magical powers stored within them and use them to strengthen their ships’ weaponry.
Monopoly on Solar Sails
Over several decades, Stygians became reliant on solar sails technology. However, slowly but steadily, the Coggorts monopolized the production of solar sails, suppressed any competition, and even sanctioned entire planets. When it became too expensive to launch expeditions across the galaxy, Stygians gave up on the idea of searching for immortality. Instead, they started utilizing the alien artifact in their weaponry.
When Coggorts learned of the Stygians’ actions, they grew concerned with their growing naval power. In response, Coggorts started locating the artifacts and either destroying them or utilizing them for their own needs. The harder Coggorts choked the Stygian’s economy, the more hateful Stygians grew towards Coggorts. They craved a strong leader who would rise against Coggorts’ hegemony.
History of the Empire
Daemon Lance
With the rising hatred against Coggorts and other non-human species, a radical religious preacher named Daemon Lance gained popularity by advocating human supremacy. According to his theory, ancient humans were immortal and powerful spacefaring beings. But the rival alien species grew jealous of them. They crafted magical artifacts and secretly used them as conduits to drain human powers. As a result, humans lost their powers of immortality and the ability to traverse space. Severely weakened, they were forced to settle down on planets. Thus, when Coggorts tried to prevent humans from laying their hands on these artifacts, Daemon saw it as an attempt to prevent humanity from getting their powers back.
Rise of the Empire
During the hardest times for Stygion, the majority of its population blindly followed Daemon Lance. Supported by the masses, Daemon united all of Stygion under the Empire of the Holy Lance and proclaimed himself its Emperor. By the Emperor’s order, the Empire built a mighty fleet imbued with alien artifacts. The new Emperor launched devastating Holy Crusades across the galaxy, eradicating Coggorts and other non-human species that refused to join his Empire. His genocide resulted in millions of non-humans being massacred or displaced.
Pandora’s Box
After years of devastating war, the galaxy united against the Empire and retaliated. The desperate Daemon turned to the ancient Demiurge murals for aid. After some research, he found Pandora’s Box – a gateway to another dimension. Daemon figured out that with the powers stored in it, Stygians would not only restore their ancient powers but also gain the very thing they historically craved – immortality. When the united forces of the resistance besieged Stygion, the desperate Daemon ventured into Stygion’s core and opened Pandora’s Box, which caused the destruction of the planet. Stygion exploded in a supernova, destroying what was left of the Empire, which led to the end of the Great Galaxy War.
The Aftermath
What exactly happened to the Empire remained a subject of speculation among historians, archeologists, and religious adepts. The victors launched numerous expeditions to find any clues of the Empire but to no avail. Several religious preachers and doomsday prophets claim that one day, the Holy Lance would return and plunge the galaxy into a devastating war again.
Pastafarians
Core Beliefs
“In the Name of the Pasta, and of the Sauce, and of the Holy Meatballs!”
“Accept His Noodly Magnificence into your heart, and ye shall forever be free! Ra’men!”
Summary
The weirdos wearing colanders on their heads, feeding weary sailors with free pasta, and celebrating all day, are the Pastafarians. They worship a divine being made of noodles and meatballs and call it the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Pastafarians hail from a distant planet called Pasta Faria II, which resembles a giant ball of spaghetti and meatballs. They stay out of the galactic conflicts and engage in philanthropic activities, such as feeding poor space travelers and giving shelter to those in need.
History of Pastafarians
Captain Mosey
The history of Pastafarians starts with Captain Mosey, a poor tavern cook with a good heart who couldn’t watch his innkeeper throwing away food instead of donating it to the poor. He promised himself that if he ever had a ship, he would travel across the galaxy and feed the hungry. One day, the Flying Spaghetti Monster visited Mosey in his dream and promised to grant his wish. Mosey was to bring all the food he wanted to donate and wait for the ship. He didn’t know whether he could trust the dream but he wanted it to be real.
A Promised Miracle
Mosey arrived at the docks with crates of food, waiting for the ship, but no ship showed up. He kept waiting till the next day and missed his shift. When his co-workers came to check on him, Mosey told them about his dream. At first, they met it with mockery. But moments later, a large shadow towered over the docks. Mosey and his co-workers beheld the Flying Spaghetti Monster that looked exactly like in Mosey’s dream. It reminded Mosey of the given promise and conjured a ship out of nothing. Astonished by the miracle, Mosey and his co-workers accepted His Noodliness into their hearts and became the first Pastafarians. They quit their jobs at the tavern and started flying across the galaxy, cooking food for the poor.
I’d Really Rather You Didn’ts
Aboard “Lasagna”, his new ship, Mosey received ten “I’d Really Rather You Didn’ts” – a set of guidelines for living a good life – but lost two of them due to a collision with an asteroid. Following the guidelines the Pastafarian community committed itself to philanthropic activities across the galaxy, such as regularly cooking giant bowls of pasta in space to feed hungry travelers for free. From time to time, Mosey and his crew engaged in piracy to free the falsely arrested individuals, or to retrieve the falsely confiscated goods. However, Mosey was determined to find the two “I’d Really Rather You Didn’ts” he had lost. One day, he sailed off into the open space and never came back.
Pastafarian Community
The Pastafarian community lived in peace and helped the poor for over a century. But when the Galactic Federation started enforcing the “Healthy Nation” agenda – prohibiting rum, fatty food, and pasta – the Pastafarian community became outlawed by definition. As the Federation started hunting their ships, Pastafarians concealed their home planet from all radars. They distanced themselves from the rest of the galaxy to practice their way of life unscathed. Pastafarians did not consider fighting the Federation, since “I’d Really Rather You Didn’ts” forbid violence. Instead, they began collaborating with pirates and actively supporting the black market for rum, fatty food, and pasta.
Pastafarians Today
Beliefs and Activities
Pastafarians wear colanders on their heads, celebrate their holidays, and regularly pray to His Noodliness. From time to time, they engage in philanthropic activities, such as rescuing stranded sailors and cooking pasta in giant space bowls to feed hungry space travelers. Some Pastafarians seek ancient alien artifacts, believing the runes depicted on them are, in fact, encrypted ancient pasta meal recipes. Pastafarians do not enforce their beliefs, nor act sanctimoniously in the name of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. But they do require their members to follow the values and ideals written in the “I’d Really Rather You Didn’ts”.
Pastafarian Problems
The Pastafarian stance on violence remains the most controversial within the community. Some prefer to stay out of the galactic conflicts, while others argue that Pastafarians must raise their cannons for self-defense. This disagreement fractures the community into three different interpretations of the Pastafarian vision. Some advocate for piracy because Captain Mosey was a pirate. Others prefer to stay out of galactic politics and stick to philanthropy. Rabbi Yolly, the leader of the community, aims to increase its popularity via diplomatic relations with other worlds. In times like this, Pastafarians hope for the Flying Spaghetti Monster to show up and clear things out. But it doesn’t. And thus, they start losing faith.
Joe's Pirates
Core Beliefs
“Freedom is the noblest aspiration, but without self-preservation, it’s a mere epitaph.”
“The life of a pirate is short. Joe’s Haven can make it longer.”
Summary
Space marauders, pirates, outlaws – there are many names to call the lawless bunch that roam the galaxy to loot and plunder. “Joe’s Pirates” is an “organized” group who live in a trade hub built by Joe O’Brien, a retired pirate. Joe built a safe haven for pirates who wanted to make a living without being hunted down by the authorities. Joe made a deal with the Federation – he made sure his people steered clear of the Federation trade routes. In return, the Federation would not prosecute any of the pirates from Joe’s Haven. The Federation benefits from this deal by gaining a certain “control” over piracy. In exchange for this relative safety, Joe’s Pirates share their loot within the community, which benefits all pirates in the hub.
Joe's Pirate Haven
Joe O’Brien
Joe O’Brien served as a cannoneer in the Federation Navy. One day, he followed an order of his impulsive captain and fired at a Dominion ship. The captain thought the Dominion ship was about to attack them and ordered Joe to attack first. This incident almost escalated into an open war with the Dominion. During the investigation, the officer denied responsibility and blamed Joe for it. When the Federation authorities set out to arrest Joe, he escaped their clutches and eventually resorted to piracy for years to come.
Pirate Hub
After decades of piracy, Joe settled down within a large asteroid field and, along with his loyal men, built up a black market trade hub. Over time, it attracted many other pirates who sought protection when the authorities cracked down on pirates. The Federation patrols would occasionally discover Joe’s location, so he often had to relocate his base of operations. Knowing Joe’s reputation among pirates, the Federation offered him a deal – Joe keeps his men away from their trade routes, and the Federation turns a blind eye to the pirates.
Joe’s Pirate Code
“Do not shoot the unarmed, do not ignore distress signals, do not plunder the needy”, – these are the core moral principles that make Joe’s Pirate Code, by which all members of the community must adhere. Joe believes that survival is not only about physical preservation but also about preserving humaneness even in dire conditions. No coin is worth becoming a low-life scum. Joe makes sure to keep only the decent human beings under his wing.
Modern Days
Joe’s hub is a large complex of multiple space structures and docks. Joe gives them a new life, provides them with regular jobs, and trades with major factions to make sure the hub has all the needed supplies. Most of the time, Joe sends them to plunder marauders and low-life thugs, smuggle illegal commodities such as rum and pasta, and scavenge ancient ruins in search of alien artifacts – those worth a lot on the black market.
Rising Tensions
Joe requires his men to steer clear of the Federation trade routes and patrols, but not all pirates follow his rules. They regularly mess with the Federation and bring trouble upon the haven. Lately, Federation authorities have started questioning Joe’s ability to control the pirates. If Joe can’t keep his men away from their trade routes, the Federation will eventually break their deal and outlaw his haven.
Pirate Gangs
Rogue Pirates
Many pirate gangs across the galaxy do not adhere to established pirate codes, nor do they act as a single entity. Joe calls them “Rogue Pirates” and sees them as low-life thugs without any moral principles. The Rogue Pirate gangs operate independently from each other with no connection whatsoever. Sometimes, lay their hands on powerful ancient artifacts. But most of the time they have no idea what to do with them, so they sell them on the black market.
Famous Pirate Gangs
These are some notoriously known pirate gangs in the galaxy:
Crimson Reavers – a pirate gang that loves piracy for the sake of violence and anarchy and rejects any rules or moral ethics.
Rumstronauts – a pirate gang that plunders and buys huge amounts of rum for personal use, and never has enough.
Space Roaches – a gang made of Coggorts freed by the “Flawed Ones”, who chose to abandon their saviors and live the life of piracy.
Vault Raiders – a pirate gang that scavenges ancient ruins in search of ancient artifacts to sell on the black market.
Ducknappers – a pirate gang that terrorizes the Mallard Order and hunts ducks to sell for food.
Antipasters – a gang of ex-Pastafarian pirates who repeatedly violated the “I’d Really Rather You Didn’ts”, and got expelled from the community.
Cheel Smugglers – a gang of pirates that harvest the Glyphen Cheel and sell it as a remedy and a painkiller on the black market.
Canvas Looters – a gang of pirates that steals artwork from Dominion nobles and sells it across the galaxy for high prices.
Mallard Order
Core Beliefs
“All ducks go to heaven.”
“Protect ducks, because one day, you will need their protection.”
Summary
The Mallard Order is a devoted cult of duck worshippers, wearing duck-looking hats, and operating duck-looking ships. They hail from Fowlhaven – a flat world covered in water, where ducks populate ponds situated on top of flying islands. Despite the lack of a strong navy, the Order has successfully protected the Fowlhaven wildlife from numerous colonization attempts over the last centuries. The Mallard Order draws its power from unity and connection to nature. It aims to preserve their way of life in the ever-changing galaxy.
History of Mallards
Creation Myth
According to the Mallard epos, the galaxy was created by the Celestial Swan, a constellation observable from all corners of Fowlhaven. Time after time, the Swan gave birth to various living species, only to see them turning unhappy and killing each other. One day, the Swan created a duck in her own image and a pond for the duck to swim in. She watched with delight as the duck happily splashed in the pond, bringing joy to bystanders. Thus, the Celestial Swan realized that ducks are the pinnacle of creation. She seeded the galaxy with as many ducks as there are stars in the cosmos and sent them forth to bring joy to all living beings living in it.
Planet of Ducks
During the Great Galaxy War, the Empire of the Holy Lance came across Fowlhaven and intended to colonize it. When Holy Lance sailors landed on the planet, they encountered its native inhabitants – hordes of wild ducks and primitive human tribes wearing duck hats. When the colonizers tried to hunt some ducks, the ferocious birds fought back and covered the Holy Lance ships in poop. As the Empire doubled down on their efforts, the native Mallard tribes engaged in a fight. Despite being armed with bows and arrows, they swarmed the invaders and forced them to retreat.
Release the Quacken!
Refusing to give up, the Holy Lance Empire assembled a large fleet and returned to conquer Fowlhaven. When the Imperial fleet was nigh, thousands of ducks gathered and started quacking in unison. They quacked stronger and louder until a giant octo-duck monstrosity, the Quacken, broke out of the planet’s central pond. The Quacken lunged at the Holy Lance ships tearing them apart one by one, thus dealing a mighty blow to the Imperial navy. Unable to defeat the monstrosity, the Empire retreated, leaving some of their ships behind. Looting the abandoned ships, the Mallard tribes gained access to new technologies. Over time, they would master the art of space warfare, build a mighty fleet, and become a force to be reckoned with.
Mallard Order Today
Society
The Mallard Order follows a strict hierarchy with the High Priest at the top. Priests are the highest class in the Mallard society, followed by sailors, then artisans, and finally the “initiates.” The initiates are the members who willingly joined the Mallard Order at some point in their lifetimes. The Mallard society places less trust in those who joined the Order than those born into it. They are allowed to be sailors and even officers but they may not approach the Priests and get anywhere near the holiest Mallard places.
Politics
The tribesmen do not welcome anyone into the home planet, be it visitors, merchants, or official representatives. Several factions have attempted to forge an alliance with the Order but to no avail. The Mallard Order imposes heavy restrictions, such as prohibiting meat consumption, and refuses to ally with anyone who doesn’t follow them.
Beliefs and Traditions
According to the Mallard doctrine, all ducks will go to heaven – a giant pond where the Celestial Swan lives. The Mallard Order members can go to heaven too if they fulfill their duties: protect ducks, conduct daily prayers in one of the 13 duck dialects, and wear their Gadhats – traditional beak-shaped hats that symbolize devotion to mallards.
Ducknappers Threat
Ducks are considered rare meat in the galaxy due to the difficulty of hunting it. But a group of poachers called the “Ducknappers” do not back down. They lure ducks out of Fowlhaven with food, catch them, and sell them on the food market. The Mallard Order finds it difficult to catch the Ducknappers, since they camouflage well by using stolen Mallard ships. As such, the Mallards rarely welcome any newcomers near their flying ponds.
Starlit Dominion
Core Beliefs
“Beauty is not in the eyes of the beholder but in the eyes of the artistically superior individuals.”
“Artists shape cannons, cannons shape art.”
Summary
The Starlit Dominion is a space monarchy that controls an entire solar system. It is a wealthy superpower ruled by hedonistic aristocrats who maintain a class system. They idolize the separation between a culturally superior wealthy nobility and the peasantry that serves them. Many seek to abolish the Dominion classism and create an equal yet cultureless society. As such, the Dominion nobility stands guard to protect its culture against such barbaric initiatives. The Dominion fleet actively searches for powerful alien artifacts to bolster its might. Though, upon finding them, the wealthy nobility appropriates them as artistic decorations instead.
History of the Dominion
A Wealthy Monarchy
The history of the Dominion starts on the planet of Luxoria. After decades of continuous and unchallenged prosperity, the world of Luxoria became so wealthy that everyone became poets and artists, and nobody wanted to do blue-collar work anymore. Queen Dominia proposed to colonize other planets and import prisoners for cheap labor, but the spoiled aristocratic Luxorians did not rush to join the navy and fight.
Everything changed when the Empire of the Holy Lance launched their Holy Crusades across the galaxy. Following the Empire’s genocide against the non-human species, millions of them sought refuge in Luxoria. Dominia saw it as an influx of cheap labor and secretly allied with the Empire to keep it going. But the alliance quickly broke apart when the Empire demanded all non-humans be eradicated, rather than employed.
The Cultureless Revolution
After the fall of the Empire, Queen Dominia seized the opportunity and asserted dominance over the solar system her fleet had previously liberated. She established the Starlit Dominion, an interstellar monarchy with herself as its queen. The newly established superpower exploited the war-torn planets to their benefit by importing cheap labor to serve the elites. As a result, the workers started organizing strikes and demanding better working conditions. The Dominion crown ignored these demands until multiple rebellions sparked across the entire provincial solar system.
Rivalry with the Galactic Federation
Observing the situation in the Dominion solar system, the Galactic Federation decided to take advantage of the situation. They annexed the rebellious solar system and offered its planets to join the Federation. Drawn by promises of protection and economic equality, the rebellious planets pledged their loyalty to the rising superpower. To reclaim their territories, the Dominion engaged in a war against the Federation. However, they were no match for the might of the Federation fleet. After losing several battles, the Dominion had no choice but to give up on their province. Fearful of a potential return of the Federation, they started developing their own naval warfare technologies to prepare.
Starlit Dominion Today
Society and Culture
The Dominion society is a class system, with royalty at the top, followed by artistic nobility, then clergy, navy, and finally blue-collar workers. This system forbids Dominion citizens from doing anything above their status and restricts anyone but royalty and nobility from practicing arts. The artistic nobility, due to their status, makes major decisions in the Dominion’s politics. They often extend their influence to areas outside of their competence. If an artist designs their own galleon, even the Admiral is not allowed to raise concerns about the practicality and safety of the designed ship – the artist comes from a higher class and therefore is always right. If the ship crashes, the artist would never take responsibility.
Beliefs and Goals
The Dominion nobility values beauty and self-expression above all. For the sake of keeping art untainted by individuals with bad taste, they believe that only the chosen few must be allowed to practice it. The ruling elites want the entire galaxy to worship their artistic genius. They dream of a never-ending supply of cheap labor that would obediently fulfill their whims, while they sip wine. But they realize that without full domination of the galaxy, this dream will not come true. The Dominion is actively searching for alien artifacts and technologies to strengthen its fleet. Yet, as they lay their hands on Demiurge artifacts, the wealthy nobles would rather appropriate them as artistic decorations, than use them for military purposes.
Astromachia Tournament
Following the loss of an entire solar system during the Rebellion, the Dominion realized its need to build a mighty fleet. But having a fleet isn’t enough. One must demonstrate its power. Instead of waging wars, the Dominion has found a creative way to flex its naval might. Once a year, they conduct the Astromachia games, a space tournament of mock naval battles designed for entertainment. The participating spaceships engage in curated battles inside a large arena enclosed by a force shield. The combatants win by crushing the protective shields of the rival ships. The winners can look forward to various rewards, including wealth, glory, and esteemed titles, making it especially attractive to middle-low-class contesters. Once a year, brave spacefarers from all across the galaxy congregate at the prestigious Astromachia games to test their skills in battle.