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AKA the Concord
Overview: |
The Attelbar Concord (named for the place at which it was signed), located in sector G, is an alliance of five independent humanoid races, each with its own form of government, world view and technological strengths. A brief description of each follows.
The Arcadians are human settlers who fled a global civil war on Earth, using a dimensional gate to jump across time and space. Once they found a suitable planet, they destroyed the gate so that no-one could follow them. In their new home, they sought to rebuild a more peaceful society. Whether they have succeeded in their goal is open to debate (see chronic problems). They are the unofficial leaders of the Concord. The Ch'min are the traders and diplomats of the Concord. They view rationality as the highest virtue - although they feel emotion just like any other race, they try not to let emotion override their logic. Ch'min are about 4-5 ft tall with stocky builds. They are covered with short, usually brown, fur and have vaguely catlike features. The Ingatri have a (mostly) undeserved reputation for aggression. Loyalty is their highest virtue, and betraying one of them will make an enemy for life. They are tall (6-7 ft) and thin, but muscular. All Ingatri are albinos, with white skin and straight white hair, usually worn about shoulder-length. They have thick body hair but no facial hair. The Mutharim are the most private and soft-spoken of the races in the Concord, viewing harmony as the greatest virtue. They are about 5 ft tall and have tough, hairless skins with thick layers of body fat. The S'ta'yanso are the most "alien" race in the Concord, both physically and intellectually. They are the only ones that are not primates. They are usually classified as reptilian, since they have scaly skins and are "cold-blooded", but they give birth to live young. They stand about 7-8 ft tall and have a humanoid body plan, with long, gangly limbs. They have flattened faces, large black eyes, no noses and no external ears. They also have two stubby "antennae" (although they look nothing like insect antennae) which act as pheromone receptors, giving them empathic abilities. The S'ta'yanso are passionate and artistic, the polar opposites of the Ch'min. They are considered to be the greatest artists in the Concord, although only another S'ta'yanso can really understand their art. S'ta'yanso are highly creative but rarely practical. The Wulzhet have a pre-industrial society and are not part of the Concord proper, but are a protectorate of the Concord. In other words, if anyone - including one of the members of the Concord - were to invade the Wulzhet home-world, the rest of the Concord would be bound to declare war on the invaders. The Wulzhet are 6-7 ft tall and have black fur. They are a gentle, nature-loving race and their highest virtue is respect. |
Navigation:CoLC Index |
Index:Q-dex / Technology / Mystic
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Q-dex: |
T 568.5343/532.675A M 324.3245/866.34
The Sciences Referent indicates a Charged Life Linear zone (Life creates Energy which creates Matter) and the Mystic Referent indicates a Life/Mana zone. Most of the sentient races have some variation on this story: In the beginning, there was a Being of great magical power. This Being used its power to create energy, which coalesced into matter. The Being then imbued some of its life-force into pieces of matter to create the first living creatures. |
Technology: |
The level of technology in the Concord is fairly advanced. Aside from the Arcadians' dimensional gate technology, the secret of which has long been lost, the Lanid (see history) were the most advanced in the area of quantum mechanics. They created anti-gravity generators and warp engines which enabled instantaneous transport across space (although range is limited by fuel payload). The other races have learned to reproduce the Lanid's inventions, but they still do not fully understand how they work. (For more information, see military.) The standard technology for short-range space travel is the plasma propulsion engine, which operates on the same principle as a traditional rocket engine, but uses a more compact fuel payload. Most ships larger than cruiser class carry both warp engines and plasma engines.
Each of the sentient races of the Concord also specializes in particular fields of technology. The Arcadians are the most advanced in computers, electronics and their related fields (e.g. holographics, robotics, global communication). The Ch'min are the most advanced in economics, political science and city planning. The Ingatri are the most advanced in engineering (especially metallurgy and construction) and cryogenic medicine, and also have the most advanced military technology. The Mutharim are most advanced in chemical engineering, and the S'ta'yanso in genetic engineering (though they do not use this technology on sentient races). The Wulzhet are the most advanced in agriculture and herbal medicine. Other races import food from the Wulzhet in return for technology. |
Mystic: |
Magic is not very advanced among the worlds of the Concord and is used mainly to improve or enhance technology - by making computers faster, spaceship hulls stronger, crops healthier, medicines more potent, and so on. Almost anyone with the proper training can use magic, but it requires discipline and focus of will. Magic is performed by transferring Essence from the magician's own body to an inanimate object.
Raw Mana is encountered sometimes in magical storms, where it manifests in a form resembling Energy. Some magicians have experimented with using raw Mana, but since the results are almost always destructive, most of the worlds of the Concord have now outlawed such magic. The exceptions are the S'ta'yanso, who use raw Mana to create illusions. Other races are unable to use it in this way, nor can the S'ta'yanso use it for any other purpose. The reasons for this are so far undiscovered. |
Size: |
The various races of the Attelbar Concord have so far colonized about a dozen star systems. In addition to their homeworlds, there are five terraformed colonies, another half a dozen mining colonies on various moons, and a large number of space stations, scientific bases and asteroid mining facilities. |
Population: |
The populations of each race are listed below. Note that not all of these are necessarily on the race's own homeworld.
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Climate and Geography: |
Arcadia is a planet very similar to Earth, with almost identical gravity and temperatures. The biggest difference is that more than 80% of Arcadia is covered by water. Instead of massive continents, Arcadia has several island archipelagoes. The largest islands are about the size of Australia.
Soshatt, the home-world of the Ch'min, is a large planet with gravity slightly higher than Earth (about 1.2G) and slightly colder temperatures (about 10 degrees lower on average). Just over half of Soshatt is covered in water, and there are no large oceans. Instead, a series of shallow seas is interspersed with land masses, giving a jigsaw-puzzle appearance. Mbelo, the Ingatri home-world, has a lower gravity than Earth (about 0.8G) and is almost completely frozen. Only the tropical regions are habitable above the surface. However, the Ingatri have expanded their territory by constructing underground networks, as well as by building underwater columns in the shallower regions of the frozen oceans, extending from the sea-bed to the ice above. The Mutharim home-world, Denos, has high gravity (about 1.4G) and low temperatures (about 20 degrees lower than Earth). The surface is dry and barren with cold winds and frequent dust storms. This is why the Mutharim have a relatively low population despite their large planet. N'ofalis, the S'ta'yanso home-world, is also a desert world, but the climate is not quite as hostile as that of Denos. The temperatures average about 20 degrees higher than Earth, and the gravity is quite low (about 0.6G). The Wulzhet home-world, Ryn, has temperatures similar to Earth and low gravity (about 0.7G). The surface is about 40% covered in oceans and the land is covered in forests, lakes and mountains. Telbar, the home-world of the Lanid, is now an uninhabitable wasteland due to the toxic waste from the chemical weapons which wiped out the Lanid (see history). Nevertheless, it is still visited (for very brief periods) by archeological teams trying to salvage knowledge and artifacts from the desolate cities. The gravity is low (about 0.8G) and the temperatures are scorching since the chemicals destroyed the ozone layer of the atmosphere. |
Flora and Fauna: |
The flora and fauna on Arcadia are very similar to those on Earth; almost all of the major families of plants and animals are represented. There are also a number of animals and crop plants which were imported from Earth by the settlers.
Soshatt is covered with mostly low-lying vegetation; there are few forests to speak of, and none of the trees grow taller than about 20-30 feet. The animals are mostly marsupials and are fairly unremarkable except for the marsupial "bats" which seem to have a hive mind. The vegetation on Mbelo is very sparse due to the cold climate, and most of the trees are tough evergreen types. The animals consist of small, burrowing herbivores and large, lumbering scavengers. There are also some flying predators resembling furry pterodactyls, which build nests up on rocky crags and swoop down to catch the burrowers. The oceans contain a number of very unusual creatures, some of which grow to monstrous sizes and are very dangerous. The animals on Denos are almost the exact opposite of those on Mbelo; the herbivores are large, lumbering creatures which feed on the cactus-like vegetation, and the predators are small, fast burrowers. There are no flying creatures due to the high gravity. The few large bodies of water are inhabited by carnivorous eels that eat small, minnow-like fish. N'ofalis is home to a variety of reptilian creatures. Many of the herbivores have been domesticated for use as pack animals or food. The predators are fast and ferocious. Most plant life is in the form of different types of grasses; there are no trees. Ryn has the most abundant vegetation of any of the planets in the Concord. Surprisingly, there are no hardwood trees indigenous to the planet. The "trees" on Ryn have fleshy stalks and a few large leaves instead of many small ones. Ryn also supports a large number of crop foods introduced from other planets, since they grow so well in the fertile soil and low gravity. Most herbivorous animals have been domesticated by the Wulzhet. The main predators are wolf-like. |
History: |
All of the planets in the Concord, with the exception of Arcadia, were once part of the Lanid Empire. The Lanid ruled the region with an iron fist for centuries, but destroyed themselves in a civil war shortly before the Arcadians' arrival. The first contact between Arcadians and the Ingatri came about four hundred years later. At that time, friendly relations between the other races already existed, but there were no formal alliances. The Compact was the Arcadians' idea, proposed as a defense against possible future incursions by hostile races similar to the Lanid. |
Government: |
The Concord does not exert direct control over any of its member states, but serves to mediate relations between them. The Concord has a number of suborganizations, including Interstellar Security (a paramilitary group for curbing piracy, smuggling, drug trade, etc.), the Red Star (a medical and relief organization), the Interstellar Information Network (a news organization), and the Planetary Research League (dedicated to exploring and studying new worlds).
The Inner Circle of the Concord is made up of representatives of each of the member states, who are directly answerable to their world leaders. The current chairman of the Inner Circle is Arcadian. Foreign Policy:The races within the Concord are actively involved in expanding their territory, but will not encroach on the territory of other Concord members or of neighboring races. First contact with races outside the Concord is generally approached with an attitude of guarded friendliness. If the response is likewise friendly, trade relations may be negotiated. If the response is hostile, the aggressors will be avoided if possible, dealt with forcefully if necessary. Only a serious threat to one or more of the planets in the Concord merits the attention of the entire Concord. The Concord maintains friendly relations with the Omnet but has no desire to join. Domestic Policy:The Arcadian government is democratic, with a President and a parliament all directly elected by the people. Governors of the various states of Arcadia are also elected. The Ingatri government is feudal, with a hierarchy of rulership ranging from the local level to the global level. Loyalty to one's family comes first in Ingatri ethics, followed by loyalty to the local lord, the provincial lord, and so on up. Consequently, it is hard to get the Ingatri to express a unified stance on anything. However, at the current time internal rivalries in the government are minimal, since all recognize the importance of mutual protection. The Ch'min are ruled by a 50-member Council. All Council members are directly elected by the people, but can only be removed by a majority vote of the other Council members. The number of seats on the Council is fixed, so new Council members can only be elected when one of the current Council members dies or is removed from the Council. The Mutharim government is rather loose since each person governs his own affairs. Mutharim can do just about anything they like within their own homes, but if a Mutharim commits a violation against someone outside his family, the guilty party is tried and punished by a Judge, who is selected by the people within a region. The borders between regions are not fixed; a Mutharim can pledge allegiance to any Judge he wants, but must obey the order of whatever Judge he has chosen. The Judges are appointed by the common consent of the people they judge, but are answerable to a higher Judge who is himself chosen by common consent of the Judges in the larger region. This Judge presides over cases involving Mutharim from more than one region. The Most High Judge is the one who relates with other races on behalf of his people. The S'ta'yanso have a monarchy governed by a queen (actually, a closer translation of the S'ta'yanso word is "matriarch"). However, the government is quite fluid and the ruling family changes often according to who is most popular at any given time. This doesn't really make any difference because the matriarch is mostly an honorary position anyway. The real control lies with the leaders of individual branches of the government - the military branch, the commercial branch, the health branch, the judicial branch and so on. Whenever the different branches have a conflict of interests, it is settled by the matriarch. The leaders of the branches are always appointed by their predecessors (who chose the original leaders, no-one knows). The Wulzhet have a tribal system of government; there is no overall leader. Treaties between the Wulzhet and other races are made with individual tribes. Within each tribe, the priest caste receives the most honor but decisions which affect the whole tribe are made by a group of elders from all the castes. The elders in each caste also govern affairs within their caste. |
Society: |
The Arcadians, Ch'min and Mutharim all have more or less egalitarian societies. Arcadians believe strongly in independence and equal rights for all and will fight to uphold their liberty. The other two races are less passionate about individual freedoms; they have simply found it to be the most convenient system. Ch'min believe that power struggles are irrational, and Mutharim are too busy looking after themselves to try to gain control over anyone else.
Ingatri society has two classes of people, the lords and the serfs. Each person knows his place in the social structure and their is no room for advancement. The Ingatri lords know better than to treat their subjects harshly, though. The Wulzhet have a caste-based society with four castes. From highest to lowest these are the priest caste, the warrior caste, the artisan caste and the farmer caste. However, Wulzhet recognize that all the castes play an important role in society and do not consider "lower" castes to be inferior to "higher" ones. The ranking of castes describes only the order of authority. S'ta'yanso society is matriarchal. The females are the rulers, administrators and traders, while the males are the warriors, farmers and laborers. Languages:The trade language of the Concord is that of the Ch'min, which is heavily influenced by that of the Lanid. The Ch'min did not resist the rule of the Lanid, feeling that it would be irrational to die for freedom (after all, how can you enjoy freedom when you're dead?). Therefore they assimilated Lanid culture more than any other conquered race. The other races still speak their own languages among themselves. The Arcadians have the greatest diversity of languages, but they are also the only race apart from the Ch'min that can claim to have a universal language. Religion:Arcadia has no official state religion, but there are a number of strong religious movements among the citizenry. People of all religions coexist peacefully for the most part, having left religious bigotry behind on Earth. The religion of the Ingatri is very formalized and ritualistic, but laden with mysticism. The Ingatri believe in a single supreme deity who created a pantheon of lesser deities to serve as the protectors of various regions. The Ingatri have a religious hierarchy which parallels and is independent of the political hierarchy, and each group claims a particular deity as its patron. The Mutharim have a dualistic religion and believe that their planet is cursed by the evil god Hiskor. According to legend, Denos was once a beautiful and fertile planet, until Hiskor devastated it. However, someday the good god, Gulrhash, will return and reclaim his creation from Hiskor, destroying the forces of evil in a final almighty battle. Mutharim have no priests; each person worships Gulrhash in his own manner. A few worship Hiskor, but they are considered evil or insane and are banished from Mutharim society if discovered. The Ch'min have a variety of religions, most of them rooted in different schools of philosophy. Many of the "religions" are actually just different approaches to monotheism. Recently, some Ch'min have tried to argue that there is no god, but this idea has not caught on with the majority of the people. The S'ta'yanso religion is almost incomprehensible to members of other races. During worship, the S'ta'yanso's empathic abilities enable them to experience true communal worship. Those of other races cannot join in because they lack this ability. The ultimate goal of S'ta'yanso religion is to achieve direct communication with the Creator, but their philosophers are always arguing over what this would be like and how they would know if it ever happened! Religion plays a very important role in Wulzhet society, as evidenced by the priest caste being the leaders of society. Wulzhets worship a single Creator, but they also make offerings to nature spirits in the hope of gaining their favor. Wulzhet religion is very individualistic: the priests only serve to guide other Wulzhet in the path of devotion, as well as operating in the role of prophets. The priests are also the only magic users in Wulzhet society. Castes:See society above. |
Economy: |
The Concord regulates trade between its member states by maintaining a universal currency based on a platinum standard. The Interstellar Trade Organization (ITO), although it is not governed by the Concord, plays a major role in assisting trade. It is run mostly by Ch'min and has divisions in most major cities on all planets in the Concord.
However, as with all other matters, each race has its own individual approach to conducting trade internally. Arcadia has a free market economy very similar to that of Earth. The Ch'min have a unique blend of socialism and capitalism. Making money is considered an honorable pursuit, but hoarding money is not. Those with excess wealth are expected to give to those who cannot support themselves. In Ingatri society, all goods produced belong to the local lords, who distribute them among their subjects as they see fit. Mutharim have very little internal trade; each family produces everything it needs to survive. The S'ta'yanso have a very fluid economy, since they frequently trade off most of their possessions for the sake of variety. The Wulzhet base their economy entirely on a bartering system. Private property is not an entirely foreign concept to them, but tribal property is their primary concern. Each Wulzhet owns only what he needs in his work and daily survival, plus maybe a few personal treasures. They will give the products of their work freely for the benefit of the tribe. Trade between tribes is regulated by the priests. Wulzhet tribes will also trade with other races, giving food in return for technology. |
Military: |
The Ingatri, as previously mentioned, have the most advanced military technology of any race in the Concord. The reason for this lies in the history of their occupation by the Lanid. The Lanid initially approached the Ingatri in a friendly fashion, and having gained their trust, proceeded to betray them. Because of the high value the Ingatri place on loyalty, they were absolutely outraged and swore to drive the invaders from their land. Their skill at engineering enabled them to develop an impressive array of offensive and defensive technology, and their underground habitats lent themselves well to guerilla warfare.
The S'ta'yanso also have a highly efficient military force. Their weapons are not as varied as those of the Ingatri, but are extremely powerful. Their troops are very disciplined and form the backbone of Interstellar Security's ground forces in high-risk areas. The Arcadians, having fled Earth to escape a war, were initially pacifistic and had only the weapons necessary for self-defense. However, they have recently been building up their forces under the guidance of President Garth, which has some Arcadians worried. Their military technology is not as advanced as that of some of the other races, but they have the most organized military force, following the hierarchical model used on Earth. The Mutharim are behind the other races in their development of military spacecraft (since flying is such a foreign experience to them), but they have powerful heavy ground vehicles and artillery units, and their knowledge of explosives is unparalleled. The Ch'min prefer diplomacy to war and therefore do not spend as much money or time on developing their military. However, the small military force that does exist is well-trained and well-equipped. Ch'min are expert tacticians and practical builders; their sleek, cigar-shaped warships are designed for maximum effectiveness in battle. The Wulzhet, being peaceful and technologically primitive, have no military capabilities. The warrior caste exists mainly to protect the people from wild animals and criminals. Starships and Weaponry:Many of the races in the Concord have advanced military technology which is kept secret from the others. The technology described here is that which is shared by all races and is considered standard for starships. The gravitational drives developed by the Lanid have been modified for a variety of uses such as deflector shields, which repel space debris that might otherwise damage ships, and tractor beams. Another modification is the disrupter beam, which creates a gravitational field that can severely batter enemy ships and even tear them apart. However, it is not commonly used because it is difficult to control its area of effect. The standard weaponry on most warships are lasers and torpedoes. Lasers are easier to target, but since most ships have "blast armor" that absorbs laser beams, only a precise hit to a vulnerable point will cause any damage. Torpedoes do not have this problem, but they can be repelled by deflector shields, which most larger ships possess, and of course a ship can only carry a limited number. Torpedoes are most often used against large ships while lasers are effective in combating small fighters. The Ingatri have developed ion cannons that fire a burst of charged matter which is not affected by either shields or blast armor, but they refuse to share this technology with the other races. The most common hand-held weapons are laser guns, which can be set to fire either a steady beam or a single burst. They come in various forms including pistol-sized "phasers", heavy-duty "blasters" and laser rifles with targeting scopes. Stun guns are also very popular weapons. Disrupter guns have also been invented which use the same technology as ship-sized disrupters, but also suffer the same drawbacks. |
Sports and Leisure: |
Arcadians are the most organized in their leisure activities. They have a number of team and individual sports which they brought with them from Earth, and they are currently trying to organize "Interstellar Olympics". Arcadians are also the only race with a movie industry, although the idea is beginning to spread among the other races, especially the S'ta'yanso. (The Ch'min, on the other hand, cannot see the point.)
Ch'min consider it irrational to spend money on unnecessary luxuries, so their lifestyle is often Spartan by Arcadian standards. Ch'min value art as a means of relieving stress and boredom, but they do not understand the human habit of assigning value to an artwork based on who created it rather than its intrinsic merit. Sports are considered a waste of time; Ch'min stay fit by physical labor, which they rarely consider a bother. Ingatri art is mainly in the forms of metalwork and carving. Ingatri sports are extremely athletic and highly competitive. However, the competition rarely takes the form of a head-to-head conflict; instead, the teams or individuals compete to be the first to achieve a stated goal. Teams are formed based on family or political ties. Wulzhet are great lovers of outdoors activities such as hunting and fishing, and these comprise the bulk of their leisure activities as well as serving a practical purpose. Wulzhet also love music and art. Music may be performed by individuals or in a group. Wulzhet art takes the form of carving, painting on various media (including sand painting), and crafting musical instruments. Mutharim have hardly any leisure activities to speak of, since they spend so much of their time and energy merely trying to survive. Their artwork mostly consists of stone carvings and murals on the interior walls of their houses. S'ta'yanso art is the most diverse and unusual. All S'ta'yanso consider themselves artists, although some are obviously better artists than others and enjoy greater respect for their work. Creativity is the most important thing to the S'ta'yanso; there are no "schools" of art, since imitation displays a lack of creativity. |
Major Population Centers: |
The cities on Arcadia are mostly named and modeled after Earth cities, but are much cleaner since they use electric cars and non-polluting power sources (hydroelectric power is popular because of the abundance of water). They have also built several small, domed settlements on the ocean floor. New Newyork, New London, New Paris, New Hongkong and New Tokyo are the major economic centers on Arcadia itself. The Inner Circle of the Concord meets at New Geneva on Demeter, an Arcadian terraformed colony.
The Ch'min build their cities in a very organized fashion. The streets are laid out in a grid - as nearly as the terrain will allow, anyway - and are coded so that a visitor can find any street in the city without a map. The buildings are mostly low skyscrapers (10-20 stories) and are uniformly block-shaped; Ch'min see no need to make their cities aesthetically pleasing. Tourists do not often visit Soshatt unless they are interested in Ch'min culture, because there are not many sightseeing spots. Most Ingatri cities are located near the equator. They are very visually impressive because the low gravity and the Ingatri' proficiency at engineering enables them to build fantastically tall skyscrapers. These are connected by many walkways which are often several stories above the ground. In the more northern or southern cities, the walkways are covered to keep snow off of them. The Ingatri do not use cars, which would get trapped in the snow, but instead travel around the city on monorails. As mentioned above, the Ingatri also build underground complexes further to the north, but these are mining and industrial centers or military bases. The "sea-towers" are used for harvesting fish and mining the ocean floor and are also visited frequently by tourists. Mutharim build their houses mostly underground, with only low-lying clay domes above the surface where they can enter and exit. Buildings are often connected by tunnels. As a result, Mutharim cities are barely visible above-ground. Most tourists are deterred from visiting Denos anyway by the harsh climate. Wulzhet have no cities, only villages. Travel between villages for the purpose of trade is frequent; Wulzhet may leave their homes for months at a time and make a circuit around other nearby villages. S'ta'yanso cities are the most flamboyant, since each architect tries to outdo others in creativity. The result is a mixture of radically different, even clashing, architectural styles in close proximity. No two buildings look the same. It is often nearly impossible to find your way around a S'ta'yanso cities, since the city planners also like to indulge themselves in creative patterns (grids are so boring). Nevertheless, tourists who can stand the heat flock to N'ofalis to look at the bizarre buildings. The S'ta'yanso themselves don't seem to care that it takes forever to get from one place to another, since they're not usually in a hurry anyway. |
Chronic Problems: |
The Arcadians are the unofficial leaders of the Concord, and some are worried that the current President of Arcadia is becoming power-hungry and may soon try to seize total control. If he does so, he will no doubt meet strong resistance - both subtle and overt - from factions of his own people who have no desire to regress into another bloody war. For the moment, relations within the Concord are peaceful. President Garth probably fears the Ingatri's military might too much to attempt hostilities at this point. |
Submission Information: |
Submitter's Name: Matthew ReesSifter: Matt Karlov |