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MARDUKI PROTECTORATE
aka: The Protectorate, Marduki Space.
| Overview | The Protectorate is the culmination of the extraordinary combination of two alien races caught in the middle of an extraordinary set of circumstances and finding themselves stranded in a completely alien paradigm. Since their rather forced cooperation (along with the unexpected assistance of a third), the two races have managed to exist and carve out a viable life for themselves.
The Protectorate is a recent addition to the Greater Galaxy, and as such the information presented below is subject to revision as observation continues. |
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Navigation
CoLC Index |
Quantum Index: Referent / Technology / Magic Union Status: Size / Sentients / Population / Major Population Centers / Diplomatic Relations History Government: Politics / Internal Affairs / Law / Crime and Justice / Economy / Military Community and Culture: Race and Ethnicity / Sport and Lesiure / Gender and Sexuality / Language and Communication / Religion and Belief Environment: The Stations / Muhartis / Baihan / Elodren / Other Locations Chronic Problems Submission Information Credits and Legal |
| Quantum Index |
Generally speaking, the Quantum zone in which the Protectorate is located (called by the inhabitants "Chlorithi", referring to the first sentients they discovered in this zone) is easily classifable as a Life/Matter (Energy Nodal) Zone (often called Biological Zones). Unlike many others however, the Chlorithi zone is theoretically habitable in all locations within in, and not just on or near planets. The whole of the zone is filled with a bluish haze which darkens considerably the father one is from a stellar mass. The interstellar medium varies from location to location, generally being warm and oxygen-rich within a star system itself, but requiring cold-weather gear and some sort of breathing apparatus in interstellar space. Atmospheric pressure (or lack thereof) does not seem to be a problem within the zone; the emptiness of space as well as the deepest regions of the planetary oceans are traversable with a minimum of temperature and breathing equipment.
Referrent T 778.3365/1207.363A M 210.6657/1114.52
Technology Indigenous technology within the Protectorate is based on organic and biological means to an end. For example, the starship drives used in system are actually specially-bred and bioengineered plants that are finely tuned to the Life emanations produced by the Zone, which allows them to be propelled by and to tack against these currents. Much of the biotechnology, however, does not look outwardly organic -- serim pods, for example (used to power many devices) look pretty much like small, copper-hued spindles, and are not 'overtly' biological in appearance. Others, however -- like the local cameras that are essentially a chitinous pack containing a recording-capable eyeball -- are obviously organic (not to mention vaguely unsettling to outsiders) in nature. Since much of the imported technology was originally from an Atomic Zone (see HISTORY), the Stations and most items created from their salvaged parts tend to have an eclectic metal-and-organics look to them.
Magic Tests have seemed to indicate that the Mystic Science Refferent for the Chlorothi zone falls neatly into the Ordered Life Linear (Life Force) category. Considering the orientation of Matter and Energy within the zone, this should not come as a surprise. However, the influence this facility imposes on the zone is considerably more subtle than in many similar zones -- sentients are unable to wield significant power by the use of conventional Life Force effects. However, what effects that can be derived are of a very ingrained and stable nature. Most all native sentients are unaware of a 'mystical' side of their existence (not surprising, considering the situations of Life in Chlorithi) and local technology incorporates mysticism in it's regular operations unknowingly. A good example of this are the giant plant-like ships that the Marduki use to travel from place to place -- along with 'technological' means of propulsion, the living vehicles also use the natural lifeforce of the zone to navigate and propel itself. As a result of this very low-level yet very pervasive mystic influence, Chlorithi items tend to level slightly worse than comparable items manufactured elsewhere. Luckily, the very fact that the mystical influence is so low-grade means that the general functionality of the items or system is not seriously impaired by the levelling process. Due to the cultural and situational aspects of the zone's mystic referent, there are no individuals which outsiders would tend to call 'wizards' or 'mages'. Instead, the entire population of the Chlorithi, sentient and non-sentient, constantly use low-level effects as a natural course of their activities without ascribing to it a special significance. On the upside, the incredibly vast amount of living material in the zone means there is a virtually infinite amount of bioenergy to use in the few low-level effects visiting mages can produce. |
| Union Status |
The Galactic Union currently classifies the Marduki Protectorate as a Lesser Empire. Commensurate with such a designation, they have Observer Status within the Agora, but may not vote. The current Protectorate representative to the Union is Vicegerent-Syndic Cathar of Serris.
Size The Protectorate encompases really only one star system to any great degree -- that which orbits the star known locally as Haven. Around this bright blue-white sun are the 18 primary Stations of the Marduki, all within the same orbit and spaced evenly out at approximately 20° from each other. Around their first colony star, Hope, orbits a 19th Station, and a sizable number of individuals exist on both Muhartis, the second planet out, and it's two inhabitable moons.
Sentients The Protectorate is comprised of three sentient species: the Marduki, the Chlorith and the Vendure. Marduki Chlorith The main body of the Chlorith appears humpbacked, with a large domed shell topped with a triangular opening facing forward -- essentially a large gill opening, as the Chlorith are amphibious creatures. Underneath there are six pairs of legs. The foremost are used for gross manipulation of objects, the second pair back used for strength and leverage, and the rearmost four pairs used for land-based locomotion. A broad, horizontal tail fluke provides balance on land and movement in the water. Vendure Vendure communicate by chemical signals, and have amazing powers of recollection and memory. They are mobile when they wish to be, but at an extremely slow rate -- a few feet per minute for the fastest. In their natural setting (they were originally discovered on Muhartis) a vendure would blend in with the surrounding vegetation. Should a potential prey animal step on one of the spines, it would be paralyzed by the extremely potent poison the vendure produces. Once incapacitated, the vendure would then move a vine over it and begin digestion with the multitude of rootlets that line the vine's bottom edge. "Urbanized" vendurans act as biological computers for the Marduki and Chlorith, with each outlying pod enhanced with the equivalent of a chemical terminal. The truly huge vendurans exist on the Stations -- one per structure, each covering up to ten square miles, acting as it's computer, memory and overseer.
Population All toll, the number of Marduki is estimated at about 1.1 million individuals. The number of Chlorith are only about one hundred and twenty, give or take a few. There are several thousand "urbanized" vendure, and an indeterminate number still living "wild" on the surface of Muhartis. The Chlorith, having a lower birthrate and a smaller gene pool to work with than the Marduki, are slowly dying out. To date, they are almost down to half their original number. The Chlorith understand and accept this unfortunate fact of life, and they themselves expect that will become extinct within another 200 years.
Major Population Centers Each one of the Stations has a viable upper limit of about 100,000 people each, and most of them are nearing or at that limit nowadays. Elodren, on the other hand, has somewhat over 230,000 individuals. Muhartis and Baihan, due to inhospitable ground conditions, only have a handful of colonists.
Diplomatic Relations As of yet, there are no set policies with outside empires by the Marduki, due to the recentness of first contact. Due to their insular natures (see CHRONIC PROBLEMS), it is suspected that they would be reluctant to make treaties and such easily. The reactions and relations with either the Chlorith's or Marduk's homeworlds (should they be determined) would be interesting, to say the least. It is also suspected the Chlorith would institute better relations with their homeworlds than the Marduki would with theirs, and may, given their population decline and the Marduki's current survivability, decide to return there should the option arise. |
| History |
The Marduki histories are rife with metaphors and hyperbole, but with a little effort, a plausible history can be pieced together:
Almost seven centuries years ago, a massive colonization fleet was sent off from the Marduki homeworlds. This fleet was comprised of 30 gargantuan generation-ships, each capable of sustaining a population of nearly 100,000 humans each. Slaved to a central navigation and pilot ship, the fleet travelled their silent, sub-light journey across the emptiness of interstellar space, the bulk of each ship's population entombed in sleeper pods. A skeleton crew of about two thousand were periodically swapped out to attend to the ships themselves and to oversee any problems that the ship's synths might not be able to handle. About seventeen years out, the young space-faring race discovered something which they had had no inkling about -- a Quantum Front. This was entirely new to the Marduki. However, the navigational computers had not been programmed to take into account such day-to-day trivialities as a complete breakdown in known Reality, and so it continued doing exactly what it was supposed to do -- head towards the programmed destination star. Tragically, said destination star did not exist, merely being part of the elaborate illusion that the Fronts set up to protect normal space from their Void-driven ravages. When the skeleton crews realized that the fleet was heading straight into the Front, they tried to halt the ships. Several did, but the vast majority of the convoy continued right on in before they could avert the disaster. When the remains of the fleet emerged moments later from the swirling chaos that embodies the Front, they found themselves in a Zone where the entire paradigm was vastly different from where they originated, and the entire fleet suddenly became just so much esoteric metal artwork drifting aimlessly through space. Time to comment on their situation was limited, however, because almost immdiately upon exiting the Front, the fleet found themselves mere kilometers from an alien vessel -- what would turn out to be a Chlorith deep-space scout. Before the scout could react, the bulk of the fleet, uncontrolable in the new Reality, smashed into the unfamiliar ship, destroying it and most of the accompanying crew. Survivors were picked up -- some 200 or so odd, crustacean-like sentients who seemed to have a grasp of how this new Realm worked. Communications were established within a few hours, thanks to some of the arcane, organic technology the Chlorith salvaged from their wrecked ship. Over the next several days, however, the Marduki realized with growing concern that none of their familiar technology was functioning properly, if at all, and that included the sleeper pods. A massive alarm was called, and for the next week, the entirety of the fleet population was emptied out into the main areas of the massive colony ships. Tragically, such an effort did not save many of the passengers -- 3/4 had been lost before they could be awakened. Faced with an extremely bad situation, the two species decided to combine forces for survival purposes -- the Marduki had the resources, whereas the Chlorith had the knowledge. The Chlorith were from a neighboring Q-Zone -- one very similar to this one -- and losses were expected by their homeworld: there would be no rescue ship sent for them. Together, the two species salvaged what remained of the scout ship and the stripped the damaged Arks for parts and supplies, then made their obscenely slow way to the closest star that the Chlorith had previously mapped. Three years later, the drifting fleet finally arrived at the new star, which the Marduki promptly named Haven. Scout parties were sent out, situations were decided on, and the conglomerate ships decided to make their attempt at a new existence here. The twenty-one remaining ships set themselves in an orbit around the Primary. Renamed Stations One through Twenty-one, they formed the bases within which the Chlorith and the Marduki could live and prosper. Over the next six and a half centuries, their combined talents allowed them to create a stable culture. |
| Government |
 The Protectorate is based on a feudal system, the form of government most familiar to the Marduki. At the lowest level are the viliens: the freemen and common citizens. Above them are lowest level of the Nobility, the Reeves, who oversee regional districts in matters of state, policy and law. Above them, in turn, are the Tetrarchs, which oversee larger districts, oftentimes anywhere from ten to thirty Reeves and their land. Finally, at the upper eschelon of each Station or moon is the regional Archon, who oversees and controls the entirety of those below him.
The final and highest member of the goverment is the Imperator, the 'emperor-figure' of the Protectorate. Based out of the Civic Capital on Elodren, he theoretically has the final say on all matters within the Protectorate. Paralleling the above framework, but seperate and distinct are two other institutions: the Parliment and the Lobbies. Unlike the Administrative branch detailed above, the Parliments are not comprised of the noble houses of the Protectorate, but instead represent the non-aligned factions within the realm. The Parliment tends to be fairly small in terms of individuals they represent, but numerous in terms of ideas. They represent the non-aligned viliens as well as acting as general advisors for the various levels of court. The Lobbies are another seperate-but-equal advisory body, and are comprised of the Guild Heads of the many varied commercial and industrial aspects of the Protectorate.
Politics With regards to political power, there are few options open to your average Marduki. Technically speaking, the Noblesse rule the populace, but a fair amount of power also rests in the hands of the Guilds. Unlike the Noblesse, which one must be born into, the Guilds are open to anyone who wishes to learn a particular craft, but the rise to prominence in a Guild can be a long and slow one. It is not uncommon, however, for an otherwise unknown house to be elevated to the status of minor nobility by order of a higher authority. These individuals, known as Syndics, are often given the right to rule over a small region, and are afforded more respect and responsibilities than their neighboring viliens. Such title are not permanent for the family, however. Should no family member distinguish himself to also be granted a Syndicship, then after four unsuccessful generations, the family is stripped of such an honor. This provides much impetus for the Syndics and their descendents to prove themselves in some means, and thus to allow the family to retain their honors and titles. As population increases, the family of a Syndic may be selected to be raised to the rank of Reeve, and thus become a member of the Noblesse.
Internal Affairs Internal affairs are much as one might assume -- Reeves, Tetrarchs and Archons are often embroiled in border wars over who has claim to what and where. However, with the reintrodution of the Marduki to the Greater Galaxy, a noticable shift has begun to occur in internal politics. More and more of the Noble Houses are banding together, forming powerful alliances. With a common, external goal to focus on, it would appear that a greater solidarity is forming.
Law Legal matters are overseen according to the jurisdiction the crime in question occured in. On most Stations, the Noble House that oversees that location has their own legal and enforcement offices that see and attend to matters of law. In other cases, the Guilds may be called on to pass judgement on their own who stray. In any situation where the legal jurisdiction of the Noble or Guild Houses overlaps one another, the ultimate authority may be delegated to a Arbiter. This may occur in two circumstances -- either if the two legal parties cannot agree to a set of regulations under which to try the criminal, or if any of the involved parties (including the accused) requests such an intervention. The Arbiters are the ulimate authority within the Protectorate, and their judgements can only be appealed to the next higher court -- the Imperator's own -- if they have two other Arbiters to review the case and back the appeal. Arbiters constantly travel the extent of the realm, always responding to the closest requests. They even have jurisdiction over the Noblesse and the Imperator himself (albeit within certain guidelines). However, such is not carte blanche to act with inpunity or to misuse their station, for with great power comes great responsibility -- the Arbiters are only answerable to their cohorts, and they are not at all adverse to eliminating corruption within their own ranks with ruthless efficiency.
Crime and Justice In virtually all Household courts as well as Arbiter declarations, there may be three judgements: innocent, guilty, or indeterminate. A 'guilty' charge carries with it, in addition to any punishments deemed appropriate by the court, the full weight of all legal costs. An 'innocent' charge clears the accused of any wrongdoing, and further assigns a lower punishment and all legal costs to the plaintif for bringing a fraudulent case to bear. In the situations where no decision can be reached, a sentence of 'indeterminate' will be assigned, with both plantif and defendent being assigned minor punishments and splitting the legal costs -- the former because he may have committed the crime, and the latter because he may have brought a fraudulent case to bear. Further, cases cannot be made or placed against institutions, Houses or Guilds -- only against other individuals (although in the many cases where an individual will place a lawsuit nominally on behalf of a Guild or House, he and he alone must suffer the benefits or consequences). By traditition, no trial may last for more than twelve days: three days each for the defense and the plaintif to state their case, two days each for the cross-examination, and one day each for summing up and final last-ditch attempts to sway the judge. Crimes within the Protectorate are punished by a number of varying ways. At the low end, terms of servitude are often the penalty, with slavery at the upper end of the range. For more dangerous or serious infractions, biological sanctions may be placed against an individual. He may be sentenced to the loss of a limb for a period of time, or removal of the tongue or an eye. Usually the sentence is chosen to be as fitting as possible for the crime -- stealing often means the loss of a hand or arm, slander means the removal of the tongue, and so forth. In Marduki society, the term "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" is not an idle platitude. Once the period of penalty is over, the guilty is free to regain whatever lost organs have been sacrificed by whatever means at his disposal (and, as ever, the Biomedicos' Guild is always right there). More drastic crimes, however, call for more drastic penalties. In some cases, the removal of organs are cumulatory or even permanent -- attempted manslaughter, for example, usually carries with it the penalty of having all limbs and sensory organs removed for a period of no less than five years. For the truly vile criminals, they may spend the rest of their existance bioformed into a useful artifact for the defendant, or, at the worst, may simply be sentenced to "Sludging", in which all of the guilty's body is reduced to a thick biomass paste which is then given over to the Biomedicos' Guild for their purposes in creating new organic devices.
Economy Agriculture is the primary focus behind Protectorate society, and as such tithes of crops are essential, both to provide surplus for public granaries, as well as to provide for the non-agricultural segments of the population. As such, barter was always a favorite means of exchange. However, in recent years, the regional vendure have taken to keeping a 'shadow record' of what services or goods people are owed by other people, and increasing reliance on this system has evolved into a 'credit' system of sorts. However, this is far from a unified standard, as the 'rate of exchange' is determined by the individual, and not the government. Thus, an hour's worth of recording services may be worth seven air-plants by one person, but only five air-plants by another. Tangible goods owed to another can be traded without the consent of the manufacturer, but owed services must be transfered with the agreement of all parties involved. Even more recently, with the introduction of the Omnium (the galactic standard currency), many Reeves, Tetrarchs or even entire regions have begun to regulate a set standard of relationships betweens goods and services and their worth in Omnium. This situation, however, still remains almost exclusively the venue of external trade -- internal trade within the Protectorate still remains almost exclusively barter-driven.
Military Active military duty is infrequent -- without outside agressors, the Protectorate has no need for a unified military force. As noted earlier, since the Reintroduction, many Noble Houses are banding together in alliances, and military support in those affected regions are much the same. The Protectorate as a whole, however, are still far from being able to easily define themselves in terms of a unified Military. However, local militias are occasionally needed -- not every Reeve or Tetrarch is going to get along swimmingly with his or her neighbors all the times -- and in these cases, a semi-professional soldiery has developed. Intermediary lords, called Syndics, pay fealty to local Reeves, and as such provide their sword arm or gun hand at their leige's request. In addition, the local viliens are also expected to be able to defend their land as needed or lend their arms as requested by their lord. Such irregular militia is seldom very effective, however. However, two specialized areas of combat deserve mention. Firstly, you have the war machines and animals. In such a Life-infused Zone, most Reeves and such have realized that it is far easier and cost-effective to simply breed creatures to do the fighting for you. An outgrowth of this is that many conflicts are actually fought almost entirely by warcreatures, and both human and collateral casualties are surprisingly low. The second item of note are those individuals known as Hunters. These are highly-specialized combatants, known far and wide for their martial skill -- in a Zone where Life runs wild, inhumanely-dangerous creatures sometimes make inroads into civilized areas, and that's when the Hunters are called in. In addition to 'pest control', they are also the primary scouts and explorers for the Protectorate, and most of the obscure or truly alien lifeforms discovered have been by them. |
| Community and Culture |
The primary focus of Protectorate society is based on fealty: individuals owe allegience and support to those above them, while at the same time are responsible for and must attend to those below them. One's word is one's bond, and personal honor and integrity are considered noble virtues.
Education is provided by calmecacs -- local public-supported 'schools' -- and, as would be expected, is heavily-oriented towards Life Sciences. Women are primarily schooled in the 'abstract' arts and sciences, such as theoretical science and genetic classifications, whereas men are more often the 'doers' in society. It can be said that "the women think up an idea, and the men put it into practice". There is reasonable equality between the sexes, but many roles are looked upon as gender-specific, and those who buck the traditional venues are often looked at oddly. The Chlorith, on the other hand, make up a unique addition to Marduki society. Being so few in number, many Marduki have never seen a Chlorith themselves, but they are universally recognized and respected. They were the initial teachers and guides to the Marduki when they arrived, and without their assistance, the Marduki would simply have never been able to survive. Due to their small numbers, it is hard to talk of a 'society' of Chlorith. A Station usually will have two or three resident Chlorith, with the rest scattered about the Stations and moons. The single largest conglomeration of Chlorith exists in the shallow seas of Baihan, and anywhere from ten to thirty of them can be found at any particular time.
Race and Ethnicity Any significant racial differences between one Marduki and the other would appear to have not been known before their arrival in Chlorithi. However, external forces have been significant in providing a rather broad specrum of appearances to your average Marduki. Due to reasonably low gravity on the Stations and the moons (the Stations each have a gravity of about .7 G, whereas the two moons are even less -- about .5 G), most Marduki are tall and thin, averaging around six and a half feet for females to seven feet for males. However, the unique properties of the Chlorithi Zone allow further modifications to the human frame -- biological lifeforms are grafted onto the body as needed, and with alarming frequency. Common additions are extra limbs and symbiotes with heightened senses. Many of these are removable, whereas others are permanent. The Biomedicos' Guild is one of the more popular and respected ones in the Protectorate. Some regions become known for specific alterations common in that area (the secondary limbs of Station Four are a well-known example).
Sport and Leisure Hunting is a very popular release for Marduki. Most of the Stations have hunting reserves set aside somewhere (and one, Station Eight, has it's central region entirely stocked for just such a purpose).Of course, the truly adventurous (or foolhardy) head down to Muhartis itself to hunt the truly dangerous creatures. Not all of them survive the journey, either. Besides hunting, gaming, dancing and theatre are well-attended leisure activities. A lacrosse-like sport, known as Bockam, is popular, although the rules are obscure, and injuries are commonplace. Live performances are respected and enjoyed, and much preferred over recordings -- although the latter is obviously used for important things which cannot afford the time-consuming luxuries of an actual live production.
Gender and Sexuality Initially, procreation was severely restricted by necessity, as the Protectorate's existence in this new realm would have been jeapordized by unrestricted copulation and the associated leap in birthrates. After a hundred years, however, the Protectorate was more stable and had more food than was necessary. Accordingly, society changed to take advantage of this situation, and extended families -- often with two or three husbands and five to ten shared wives -- became the norm in the rural areas of the Protectorate (i.e., those Stations devoted to agriculture and the food-moon of Elodren, where larger families were the most beneficial). Family units elsewhere, however, tended to be smaller and more flexible -- Stations devoted to research and science (as well as enclaves such as artificial islands on Baihan) generally could not afford the luxury of large families or the expense and time needed to raise many children, so nuclear families or public-oriented communes were more common there. The same basic social patterns continue to this day, but are not as rigid as they once were -- decreasing pressures on food production as the technology grew allowed more freedom in a social context.
Language and Communication  News within the Protectorate is handled in one of several ways, depending on the situations and newsworthiness.
Theatre and plays are popular for works of history and current events that are on a large scale -- the daily or even weekly news are seldom important or lasting enough to warrant a full-scale production which tradition would demand. Otherwise, biorganics provide the best and most reliable way to transfer inormation from one area to another. A very common means is by the use of a Recorderbug. These little beasties are essentially multi-sensory recorders, recording audio and visual stimuli in their RNA. This RNA is then siphoned off; the resulting capsules are then introduced into the bloodstream. The participant then is 'infused' with the knowledge that was encoded in the RNA. For more permanent records, such RNA-compatible materials can be hard-wired into crystaline plates about two feet by one and half feet in size. These plates can then be affixed to a biorganic reader that will stimulate the sheets into 'playback' mode. Of course, traditional means of communication, such as writing, have not been forgotten, and are important if one should be without a reader, but such occasions are few and far between. Most viliens are illiterate in the traditional sense -- not because they are ignorant or stupid, but rather simply because they seldom have need for such things with RNA capsules around.
Religion and Belief The closest things most Marduki have to a religion is a form of ancestor worship. Beloved leaders are looked upon with reverence even after they have passed away, and quite often a short ceremony of ritual canabalism is performed by those closest to the deceased. Given the propensity of information being transmitted within RNA in the Chlorithi Zone, it may be assumed that in an esoteric sense some of the wisdom of the deceased is being passed to the participants, although if any information is actually gained, it is very slight. |
| Environment |
Since the vast majority of the Marduki live on artificial stations orbitting Haven, climate and geography really only come into play when discussing Muhartis and it's two inhabited moons: Baihan and Elodren.
The Stations To be added later.
Muhartis Muhartis itself is for the most part a jungle planet, hot, wet and thoroughly overgrown with animal life. A thin equatorial ring of desert and steppes fades to heavy scrubland and then to dense rain forests. Even at the poles, the climate and associated flora and fauna are merely subtropical in nature.
Baihan Baihan is the larger of the two moons, and is comprised of an extremely dense core, surrounded by a thin shell of magma and crust, constantly cracking and shifting. This in turn warms the sea which completely envelops the surface of Baihan, and makes life possible. Aquatic life is mind-bogglingly diverse here, ranging from bottom-dwelling creatures that harness the geologic upheavels for their energy to microscopic plankton seeded onto the surface of the shallow planetary seas. Much of the protein for the Marduki comes from Baihan.
Elodren Elodren, on the other hand, is covered with lush, gently-rolling plains. Sophisticated animal life had not developed yet on this moon, and the Marduki made every efort to take advantage of that fact -- almost every arable square meter of land has a crop of some sort growing on it. The capital and 'vacation spot' of the Protectorate, it also houses the official government seat, dwelling within a city nestled into a low mountainside.
Other Locations There are of course other planets in the two explored systems, and, as is constant in most all Life Zones, they are all 'alive' to some degree. However, their biospheres are so alien that even the Chlorith have to use environment suits to travel about them. Irregardless, many unique biotech items are grown/found/bred from original stock discovered on these planets. |
| Chronic Problems |
Four hundred years ago the most obvious problem would have been the fact that they were lost refugees, stranded in a Zone where none of their old technology and knowledge was of any use to them. In the intervening centuries, however, the Marduki, with the Chlorith's assitance, have managed to tame and control even this new alien paradigm. Even so, their's is still a culture which has by default been an insular, closed one, and that has stuck with them up into the present. While individually they are friendly and hospitable, they are often cold and suspicious of others on a larger scale -- treaties and other accords are hard to come by, and every diplomatic inch of ground is hard fought for.
When they were discovered some forty years ago, the Omnet decided to remain hidden, and see what developed before (re)introducing the Protectorate to the Greater Galaxy. The Protectorate had yet to be able to reconstruct organic technology to the point that would enable them to acheive FTL travel -- even Station Nine, orbiting the nearby star of Hope, was sent on it's long journey at sublight speeds almost a hundred years ago, and it still took over thirty years to get there. With the development of a FTL hull just a few years ago, however, the Omnet decided to begin the First Contact Protocals. For the most part, the Protectorate was happy to be welcomed back into the Universe-at-large, but many are still somewhat resentful of the Omnet's original decision to wait upon first finding them. |
| Submission Information |
Submitter's Name: Stephen Mumford Submitter's Email: xeno@catharsis.com |
| Credits and Legal |
The Marduki Protectorate is part of the cooperative-storytelling project called The Starshield Universe, based on the books of the same mythos by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
While the original concept for the Chlorith Marduk was created by Stephen Mumford (xeno@catharsis.com), the operation of the Starshield Universe is such that any or all potential material may be utilized by Margaret Weis or Tracy Hickman at a later date. As a result, the Marduki Protectorate and any associated information is thusly Copyright © 1998 Omniverse Interactive Inc., and is used and modified with their gracious permission. All other materials herein, however, such as original graphics, layout, design and coding, is Copyright © 1998 Stephen Mumford. If you wish to use said materials, please contact me. |