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Overview: |
First settled by human colonists roughly 2300 years ago, the system now known as The Four Worlds of the Hegemony has successfully emerged from centuries of confusion and strife to reenter the galactic community. It is our hope and our goal that cooperation and mutual understanding will be the tools by which we create a better future for all.
The Hegemony is located on the border of Sectors G and H. |
Navigation:CoLC Index |
Index:Q-dex / Technology / Magic
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Q-dex: |
T 677.7226/322.654 M 679.8227/333.11 |
Technology: |
The rapid and responsible development of new technologies is one of the principal pursuits of the Hegemony. Examples of the Hegemony's most important technologies include high-temperature electrical superconductors, fast fusion, anti-matter, wormhole-based interstellar travel, graveto-magnetic propulsion, neural net computers, tissue and organ cloning, retro-viral immunization, and holographic communication.
The Hegemony occupies a region of space which the Q-dex would refer to as a 'Charged Matter Linear zone.' |
Magic: |
The phenomenon known as magic was virtually non-existent in the Hegemony's region of space until the Coming of Chaos - the first of two massive quantum storms that devastated the system centuries ago. Following the Fall of Chaos (the second storm) magic came to be blamed for the damage inflicted by these storms. The result was a tragic period in our history during which the users of magic were persecuted and even slaughtered en mass.
These old fears and hatreds are thankfully in the past. Indeed, one of the first goals set down by the Hegemony Directorate of Science and Technology was to create and organize programs to better understand the scientific underpinnings of this phenomenon as well as its effects on advanced societies. |
Size: |
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Population: |
The total population of the system is 7,679,250,000 The current growth rate is approx. 6.3%
Men and women are allowed and expected to work together. Recent advances in medical and biological science have made possible life-expectancies of approx 400 years. This figure is approximate for the simple reason that the necessary treatments have only been around for about 28 years - no one receiving them has had time to die of old age! |
Climate and Geography: |
Given that the net energy each habitable planet receives from the three suns is fairly constant, seasonal changes tend to be mild and can last for months or years.
All four planets will still have large areas that remain smashed by so many centuries of conflict. In these areas there will be little if any life. Reclamation efforts are continuing. Dana: Culhweh: Olwin: Lir: |
Flora and Fauna: |
After two massive quantum 'storms' and countless years of turmoil, most of the indigenous lifeforms of all four worlds have been lost. Those that remain are considered something akin to national treasures and are protected accordingly.
The 'wildlife' to be found today is almost entirely the result of projects intended to replace what was lost by cloning and selective breeding. Consequently, few predatory animals or toxic plants are to be found. Plants tend to be bred purely for functionality (food, clean air, etc.) or to be as aesthetically pleasing as possible. Likewise, animals are created to be either the perfect pets or perfect guards. There were in the past almost perennial attempts to create a semi-intelligent race of animals designed to perform menial labor, but these programs always fell prey to a lack of technology or resources. These efforts were eventually outlawed on all four worlds even before the creation of the Hegemony. |
History: |
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Government: |
Each planet maintains it's own government which is responsible for internal matters that do not directly affect the other worlds; the individual governments are discussed under Society. The Hegemony itself is a council composed of twelve representatives from each world.
As a governing body, the Hegemony seeks to be as non-intrusive as possible in the lives of its citizens. Whenever possible, the local planetary leaders are left to decide how to best insure that their worlds comply with Hegemony rulings. The major departments, or directorates, of the Hegemony are:
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Society: |
Dana: The unique geography of Dana has led to a highly nomadic culture based on trade. Political power rests largely in the clans which are themselves composed of large extended families. Power within the family is held by the elders with the most children, grandchildren, etc., while power within the clan is held by the wealthiest families. Family elders tend to remain in the same place to better coordinate the family's activities while the younger members are encouraged to travel - and perhaps develop some useful contacts along the way. The planetary government consists of a council made up of the chief elder from each clan. Their historical role has been to mediate disputes between clans while interfering as little as possible. In more recent years, this role has been expanded to include coordination of military activities and enforcement of laws concerning immigration and trade with the other worlds. With this increase in responsibilities has come an increase in power. Not everyone on Dana is entirely comfortable with the idea of such a 'highly centralized government', a description many worlds would still not think to apply to the current situation on Dana. Perhaps the most utopian of the four worlds, the mild weather and lack of anything that a military strategist would seriously consider high ground lends itself well to a generally peaceful society. Commerce, art, and learning are the primary interests of most Danians, pursued with what could best be called 'relaxed intensity'. Residents of Dana have a reputation for being friendly and even eager to help, if somewhat naive. Danian morality can be best summarized by: "Just don't hurt anyone else by doing it." Olwin: Military service is still a requirement. While no active duty member of the Olwin Defense Forces can hold political office, most if not all of the Committee members are chosen based on former rank and time of service. Duty is the foremost thought of the typical Olwinite: duty to world, homeland, and family. The Olwin government oversees all major industrial, economic, scientific, and social matters. Careful attention is paid to planetary security, and impact on the environment - particularly the still-fragile atmosphere. While teamwork is stressed, the Olwin leadership is still quick to reward personal acts of self-sacrifice and effort. Olwinian morality is rather Puritanical. However, this is not as strictly enforced with visitors as with residents. Culhweh: Duty and leisure are pursued with about equal vigor. Military tenure is required, but only for two years as opposed to Olwin's six. Music is especially appreciated, particularly operas performed on a grand scale. Indeed, all forms of art are appreciated on a grand scale. (They would have loved Wagner). Family ties are respected here, but not to the point that can be found on Dana. Some of Olwin's moral influence can still be felt, but is not as strictly enforced. Lir: Leadership within the guilds is held by a council containing members from each clique; the larger the clique, the more the council membership. Each guild council then chooses two members to represent it in the Planetary Council (PC). The Planetary Council's primary responsibility is in matters dealing with other worlds: representing Lir in the Hegemony, immigration, etc. The PC can also be called in to settle disputes between guilds, or even between cliques within a guild, although this is very rare. Entire families are typically members of a single guild. If a child shows no interest or talent for the work of his/her family's guild by about age 12, that child may become an exchange student of sorts with a family in another guild. At around age 18, this child may choose to become a member of the new guild and a 'second child' to the new family. Note: This would by no means forbid the child to see his/her true family. For an adult to move between cliques (professionally, not geographically, speaking) within a guild is commonplace and often encouraged. Moving between guilds, while once forbidden, is becoming more and more accepted as new technology and increased lifespans allow the learning of new tasks. Laws on Lir apply to all guilds equally. Matters of ethics are typically dealt with within the guild or clique. Morality on Lir can be summarized by "Don't ask, don't tell". Languages:Each planet has its own language which is almost entirely derived from the single parent language spoken before the Coming of Chaos. Centuries of isolation brought about by the loss of space flight caused differences to develop not only between worlds, but also among continents. This latter was especially prevalent on Olwin, with its five major islands separated by significant bodies of water. Efforts are currently well underway to restore the mother tongue, as even those still opposed to the Hegemony are aware of the value of a unified language (for the most part, anyway). Religion:Too numerous to list in full, suffice it to say that a wide variety of viewpoints are explored. One interesting commonality is the development of astrological beliefs on each world. This was no doubt encouraged by the complex orbital mechanics of the system. |
Economy: |
Each world still maintains its own economy along with its own currency. Efforts to unify the system's economies are still ongoing. As it now stands, trade between governments and the larger institutions are being conducted with a universal (so to speak) electronic credit system, while individuals and smaller institutions still convert between the various currencies. |
Military: |
The Hegemony Defense Directorate is composed of three branches:
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Sports and Leisure: |
As one might expect, these run a wide spectrum from games of strategy to games of chance to trials of physical endurance. One of the largest and most dramatic of these is The Hunt on Olwin. The Hunt is basically a massive wargame fought between two or more sides with weapons based on a level of technology decided on ahead of time.
The Hunt can run for weeks at a time with all sides erecting fortifications, planing strategies, even forming unofficial alliances and spying on other teams. While the Olwin teams are the odds-on favorites, the other planets have begun to get in on the act, with interplanet competitions drawing huge crowds. |
Major Population Centers: |
As a result of the wars, most major population centers were destroyed, except on Dana where there were practically none to begin with. Cities and industrial centers tend to be spread out as thinly as possible so as to present less tempting targets.
While the threat of orbital bombardment is no longer a serious consideration, this decentralization of the populace does offer environmental advantages as well as a natural defense against urban decay. As a result, extensive planning is undertaken so as to keep the population of each city under 1,000,000 or so. |
Chronic Problems: |
As an Olwinian philosopher once noted: 'There is nothing more difficult or less clear then the taking in hand of a new order of things.' The Hegemony must deal with the inevitable growing pains of any new government. There remain those who are uncertain of the cooperation of four worlds with such a tumultuous history, or of our ability to maintain our identity in the face of a greater galaxy. Most, however, are aware of the promise that such cooperation, with ourselves and with others, holds for all.
The Four Worlds also remain hard at work repairing the last of the damage caused by the conflicts of the past. As these efforts near completion, it is widely agreed that some of these scars should not be wiped away, but should be allowed to serve as reminders of the horrors of disunity. While perhaps not currently a chronic problem, much debate exists about how medicine's abilities to grant greately extended lifespans will affect the various social structures on the Four Worlds. In addition, some superstitions about magic continue to endure. This should not, however, be seen as in impediment to relations with those who make use of this branch of science. |
Submission Information: |
Submitter's Name: Heath Barmettler
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